All Out Hockey is organizing a memorial fundraising game in honour of Travis Adams.
The game titled “Game For 55” will be held at the Takhini Arena in Whitehorse on Dec. 23. Doors open at 6 p.m. and puck-drop is at 6:30 p.m. This is the second edition of the game since its launch last year.
Adams passed away in 2020.
Tara Larkin, Adams’ sister, said he was a pivotal member of the community and was active in sports.
“He was a really kind person who was willing to help and happily donated left, right and centre to kids, sports and community causes,” she said. “He was really known well in our community as a really kind, caring guy — someone who uplifted people when they were at their lowest points.”
Larkin said Adams impacted many people in the hockey community. After he passed away, the annual game was organized in his honour.
“They approached us as the family and asked us if we would be willing to help them organize it and if it would be okay to honour him in this way. And that every year at this time, we would give back to the community in some way, just like he used to.”
Game for 55 will raise money for the Whitehorse Food Bank. Nuway Crushing, a family-owned construction company in Whitehorse which was run by Adams, has kicked off the donations with an initial $10,000 contribution, according to a Dec. 9 Facebook post by Larkin. The company says it will match up to another $10,000 raised at the Game for 55.
The post said the game’s entrance fee is “pay-what-you-can at the door.” It noted that Ann Jirousek from All Out Hockey will be available to receive cheques payable to the food bank.
The Facebook post said the game, which is a family-friendly event, will include a fast-paced hockey match with local and returning players, a huge silent auction and 50/50 draw. The beer garden and concession — “Takhini Tims” — will both be open.
For the 50/50 draw, Larkin said after all tickets are sold, whoever wins the draw gets 50 per cent of the total value of money earned, while the other half will go to the food bank.
She said there will also be a halftime show featuring some local kids on the ice.
“Players that are selected to play in the game are often younger adults and youth that have been playing Outside of the Yukon in some capacity, playing against older adults who have had some sort of elite hockey playing experience as well,” Larkin said.
“Travis was known to give a hand up to anyone who needed it through his kind-hearted nature and his continuous efforts to give back to the community. We are honoured to carry on his legacy by donating all funds raised this year to the Whitehorse Food Bank,” she said in the post.
She said food banks across the country, including in the Yukon, are experiencing a steady increase in demand. Donating to the food bank will help Yukoners access necessary and nutritious food, she added.
“As a tireless community supporter, Travis would be pleased to be championing this very important cause. So many Yukoners participated in the exceptional parade held in Travis’s honour in 2020. We came together again in 2022 at the Game for 55 — a very special evening full of positive energy, community and a true showing of what makes Yukoners special. We hope that same spirit will encourage each of us to bundle up for a worthy cause and a night of hockey fun.”
Money raised from last year’s game was donated to the pediatric ward at the Yukon Hospital Foundation.
To make donations to the silent auction, Larkin can be contacted through Facebook or email at taradlarkin@gmail.com.
Contact Patrick Egwu at patrick.egwu@yukon-news.com
