A group of Edmonton hockey players is raising money for dementia-related research by teaming up with NHL stars. In its second year, the "Scotiabank Pro-Am for Alzheimer's" took place at the Leduc Recreation Arena Saturday, raising $1.2 million to support the search for a cure.
Everyday hockey enthusiasts teamed up with NHL greats for the cause.
For player Michael Schayer, this was no ordinary game.
"My grandmother has Alzheimer's so I'm basically doing it for her, and hockey's second, but it's a pretty good way to raise some money. . . It's all about trying to find a cure," he said.
Schayer, along with players from 25 other teams, is uniting for one goal.
"[It] brings home to everybody how widespread brain disease is and what kind of impact it has," said NHL Player Marty McSorley.
Fourty-five thousand Albertans and 500,000 Canadians live with Alzheimer's disease says Lyn Krutzfeldt, President of the Alzheimer Society of Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
"Every five minutes someone is nearly diagnosed in Canada. It's a huge issue for Canadians," she added.
NHL player Paul Coffey hopes the games will raise awareness as well as money.
"Alzheimer's shows no boundaries, and plays no favorites. Everybody can get it. It's a terrible disease. I mean your mind is the most powerful thing you have in your body," he said, telling CTV he knows first-hand the impact the illness leaves on a family.
"It's a huge cause. It's close to myself. My mother had it before she passed. . . .It's one of those great charities that's worth putting your time in."
With news of Ralph Klein's diagnosis of fronto temporal dementia, mental illnesses associated with aging have been thrust into the spotlight.
With Files from Marni Kuhlmann
