Barrie hockey league garners toy donations and crowd in charity game

Local hockey team competes for food and toy drive The Cobras filled hockey bags with toys and food to support local families in need and made a donation to CTV's Toy Mountain in Barrie.

The Purple Cobras hockey league took it to the ice on Saturday for their first ever charity hockey game in Barrie.

The Gold Hockey Development Purple Cobras is a registered non-profit organization that provides hockey development to U7, U8 and U9 players.

The league does an internal gift exchange each year but decided to shake things up this holiday season by playing three charity games which focus on giving back to the community.

This festive day features a draft for each age group, allowing all Cobra families to participate in the event.

The first puck hit the Sadlon Arena ice at 11 a.m.

In order to attend the event at Sadlon Arena, people must bring in an item to donate. This specialty rule acts as a ticket into the rink.

“Hockey is not a cheap sport, so money is constantly taken out of mom and dad’s pocketbook each year. When it comes to the sport of hockey, especially at competitive levels, we wanted to make sure they [the team] understood the importance of giving back to the community. It’s not always just about receiving but giving as well,” shared Ryan Wood the Purple Cobra’s director of hockey operations.

The Cobras aimed to fill hockey bags with toys and food to support local families in need. All of the generous donations were delivered to CTV’s Toy Mountain at the Barrie station.