EDMONTON -- After playing for days in the coldest temperatures of the winter and raising more than $1.5 million, the men and women involved in the World’s Longest Hockey Game are getting ready for the final buzzer on Monday morning.
The players have been on the ice since Feb. 4 to raise money for the Cross Cancer Institute.
Goalie Andrew Buchanan laced up for the game for the first time this year.
“I’m relatively new to the Sherwood Park area, so I did some research on the history of the game and I signed up immediately. There’s nothing else like this in the world. It’s absolutely incredible what’s going on here,” he said Sunday.
A firefighter and paramedic in Strathcona County, he’s dedicated his game to firefighters with cancer.
“Cancer is our number one killer of firefighters in the fire service, and it’s time to make a change. I thought there’s no better way than to attribute it to all the first responders out there who are constantly fighting cancer, so this one’s for you,” Buchanan told reporters on Sunday.
“This cold is absolutely nothing to anyone who’s going out, fighting cancer out there.”
In fact, it got so cold that a hockey puck shattered into two pieces when it hit Buchanan’s helmet during gameplay. He said the puck will be auctioned off in a silent auction to raise additional funds for the cause.
“You could have your hands on the infamous shattered puck of the World’s Longest Hockey Game.”
The silent auction items are available to bid on online.
The Edmonton Football Club is also holding a 50/50 draw with half the proceeds going to the fundraising efforts of the players.
The players actualy met their fundraising goal on Saturday, and are now hoping to raise $2 million.
