Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk laced up alongside dozens of local kids at Ottawa City Hall Friday, as part of Brady’s Skate for Kids, an annual event supporting BGC Ottawa youth programs. The skate brought around 70 children onto the Rink of Dreams, giving many a chance to hit the ice with the Sens star, including nine-year-old Zelda, who’s just learning to skate. “It’s a lot of fun because I get to be with the leader of a hockey,” she says. The event is hosted by Tkachuk and his wife Emma through their charitable initiative, Tkachuk’s Captains, raising thousands of dollars to support free programming for kids across the city. “There’s such an amazing relationship with the Senators organization and this community in the city,” says Tkachuk. “For me, it’s not just about playing hockey. I’ve lived here for eight years and I’ve been welcomed from day one and I truly feel like I’m part of this community. To have an opportunity to give back to the next generation of kids and create those memories and something they might carry on for the rest of their lives, that means a lot to me and it’s something my wife and I are very passionate about.” Through Tkachuk’s Captains, Brady and Emma support BGC Ottawa’s fundraising efforts and help expand access to programs serving more than 4,500 children and youth each year. BGC Ottawa CEO, Adam Joiner, says the support is increasingly important as demand for services continues to grow. “Today is not just about the day. It’s about introducing kids to the sport and for some of the members introducing them to skating,” Joiner says. “This service and support that we offer only happens because of people like Brady and Emma. Ninety per cent of our funding comes from fundraising, so this is really important for us to be able to provide free child and youth work programming throughout our city at no cost to our families and thousands of kids come every year for these services.” Other Senators players joined in with the assist, and members of the PWHL’s Ottawa Charge made surprise visits, including captain Brianne Jenner. “We love being a part of the Ottawa community and it’s cool to get these opportunities to connect with the youth in the city,” Jenner says. “But also, to connect with the Senators and those players and just support each other.” For BGC member, Harmony, she says hockey is more than just a game. “I was born premature, so I was told I wasn’t able to get to do some stuff,” she says. “And doing this shows a bunch of people who doubted me I can actually do it.” Moments like the skate spark joy and inspiration. “It means that I can have a profession of playing on a competitive hockey team when I’m older,” Harmony says. “And here I get to have a figure where I can look up to.” Last year’s Brady’s Skate for Kids fundraiser raised more than $32,500 for BGC Ottawa, with proceeds directly supporting free youth programming across the city.
