Thom’s excitement about newly purchased hockey gloves turned into something bigger thanks in large part to Chris Colgan’s comment about “they look like they should be used for a fund raiser”. Thom began brainstorming ways to make a difference, channeling his ADHD into organizing a unique event. He reached out to his contacts from the CAHL, inviting them to join a special hockey game dedicated to raising funds for breast cancer awareness. By the next morning, plans were already underway, and the buzz about the upcoming fundraiser had started spreading throughout the league.

The event was a huge success, even if no one can remember the exact numbers today. After the game, Thom was talking with Chris Taza and Chris said something about how this could become something bigger, maybe even a tournament. That comment got Thom’s wheels turning again, and before long he had sketched out the groundwork for an eight-team, long weekend tournament, the kind he remembered from his own youth hockey days.

The first year’s tournament was rough, to say the least; only six teams registered for the eight available spots, and very little money was raised. Still though, it planted a seed that started to grow organically. In year two, Thom was introduced to Brian Canavan, and with Brian’s help, and with donated ice from the Chiller Ice Rinks, the plan became real. The two of them were able to build a tournament that has been running since 2011 and continues to grow each year. From the first year of the tournament in 2010, the Hockey Beats Down Cancer tournament has grown from an 8 team ‘winner takes all’ tournament into a multi skill level pre-holiday event that has had its highs and lows along the way, but it has endured, and it continues today in its 17th iteration.