Breakaway 2016 with Special Guest Mark Messier
Februrary 9th, 2016
Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park
|
Over 500 people were in attendance at the Breakaway 2016 event, and we raised over $200,000 to support the program. We had 35 of our 43 skaters present at the event and it was an amazing experience for the kids to skate in the middle of the skyscrapers of New York, and also to see the outpouring of people who came just to see them.
Our Special Guest Mark Messier skated for 45 minutes in a sled with the kids, all the while they were giving him pointers about how to hold his sticks, how to transition to hit the puck, how to skate fast and to stop. It was an incredible scene to watch 10-year old kids with disabilities taking 6-time Stanley Cup Hall-of-Famer Mark Messier to school. Despite being under the weather, Mark couldn’t have been more generous or gracious with his time, posing to take pictures with anyone who asked, and talking with all the kids, families, and guests. I cant say enough great things about Mark Messier. The top video was shown at the event, and was made by our very good friend Joe Quint. This is an outstanding piece of work that really shows what we are doing, and what it means to the kids and their families to be able to play sled hockey. The second video is a news clip from ABC Sports showing Rob Powers interviewing some of the kids and Mark. The third video is a recap video showing some great shots of Messier in a sled, as well as some of the better photos. The photos and this video were created by Matt Petosa. The last video was taken by Hockey Mom Cathy C. and shows why Mark Messier is a hall-of-famer. Even the first time in a sled, he is a natural. Finally, there is a link to more photos from the event. We would also like to thank our fabulous MC, Ezra Knight for coming out and kindly donating his time, our expert auctioneer, Alasdair Nichol, and our ubiquitous photographer, Matt Petosa. |
|
|
|
|
