A competitive minor hockey team in Cochrane is set to don pink jerseys in their home-opener this weekend, as part of an annual initiative dubbed 'Pink in the Rink.'
On Saturday at 2:15 p.m., the Airdrie-Cochrane Havoc U16 AA boys' team will be clad in pink when they take on the Lethbridge Hurricanes at the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre.
Cochrane Minor Hockey vice-president Marc Gelinas, who is also a board member with the Airdrie Cochrane Athletic Association (the group that governs AAA and some AA level teams in the two communities) said the intent of Pink in the Rink is to raise awareness of breast cancer research.
"I think getting this awareness out there, giving back to the community and having the community involved in this is just important to the whole team," Gelinas said. "It’s also important to the community. It gives a different outlet for a small town like Cochrane."
In addition to awareness, Gelinas said the event will also include raffles and other fundraising aspects, and all proceeds will support breast cancer research organizations.
According to Gelinas, Pink in the Rink has been going on for the last four or five years within Cochrane Minor Hockey.
"Some of these events, you don’t really see a lot of them, so we wanted to help bring something like this to Cochrane," he said. "There are lots of people who come to the games, so I think it’s just important to let everyone know about it.”
He noted that fans in the stands are also encouraged to wear pink for the game.
Adding to the significance of Pink in the Rink, Gelinas said some players on the Havoc have been touched personally by cancer in the form of their family members contracting the disease.
He noted how at the end of the game, the players tend to give their pink jerseys to their mothers as a show of love.
The Havoc competes in the South Central Alberta Hockey League's (SCAHL) U16 AA division. After six games this season, the team – which draws players from Cochrane and Airdrie, but also farther-away communities like Canmore and Olds, is sporting a 4-2-0 record in the SCAHL.
"We have a pretty strong team," Gelinas said, noting six players from Cochrane are on the Havoc this year. "It’s a good team and it should be a successful season.”
Gelinas added Saturday's game against the Hurricanes will be the Havoc's first time playing in Cochrane this season, as the team's previous home games have been held in Airdrie.
