NHL superstars John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, Sam Bennet and more took to the ice at Sadlon Arena on Thursday night for the annual BarnBurner charity hockey game. More than $700,000 dollars was raised and will go directly back into the community. “Everything from the RVH (Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre) to Pie Education, Easter Seals, and rotary clubs,” said Organizer Alex Nuttall. “It’s pretty amazing.” Former Barrie Colts defenseman and Stanley Cup winner Aaron Ekblad looks back fondly at his time in Barrie. “Its amazing its nostalgic skating on this ice and snapping it around in warm-ups was really cool,” said the former Colt captain. “I see a lot of familiar faces and fans from back in the day so nostalgic would be the word I use.” Tavares captained team plaid and has been a part of the barn burner for the last few years. “It’s a lot of fun, obviously being from the GTA and playing in Toronto, spending a lot of summers up in Muskoka and an awesome community in Barrie who love their hockey and its always an amazing event they take good care of us,” said Tavares. Adding the support is greatly appreciated. Play some hockey and its lighthearted for a really good cause,” said Tavares. “The way people come out and support is phenomenal.” The impact of the charity hockey game felt right across the region. “When you think about the impact that you can have, whether it’s kids going back to school or ensuring the RVH has done everything it needs to take care of our citizens, or working with children who’ve had, you know, catastrophic loss of lives,” said Nuttall. “So this is really a sport for community.”
