Hockey Helps the Homeless takes place in Regina for the first time

Hockey Helps the Homeless hits Regina for the first time, raising over $160K with proceeds supporting Carmichael Outreach. Damian Smith has the story.

After 30 years in operation, Hockey Helps the Homeless made its first stop in Regina, as one of 21 stops across the country spanning from October to May.

Austin Bentz, co-chair of Hockey Helps the Homeless Regina, started lobbying for the initiative to come to Regina around a year and half ago.

“We heard good things. They wanted us and Hockey Helps the Homeless and were a very gracious host,” he said. “They brought us out to Saskatoon, they gave us a ton of swag to bring back, and hockey bags.”

“We’ve had a successful event in Saskatoon for the past few years, and some folks here caught wind of that. They reached out and said, ‘We want to get this up and running.’” said Emma Langlois, the senior business development manager of Hockey Helps the Homeless.

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For some professional hockey players, this is the first time that they’ve been able to play in Hockey Helps the Homeless in Regina.

“It’s a great excuse to get back to Saskatchewan. I love to come back here, it was an easy decision.” said Zack Smith, a former NHL player, who retired in 2021. “The gloves will be staying on, but it’ll be fun to get back on ice.”

Smith is originally from Maple Creek and played four seasons from 2004-2008 with the Swift Current Broncos.

“It’s nice to see some familiar faces that you haven’t seen for quite a while. I’ve been walking by a few guys, and they’d be like, ‘Colby, great to see you!’ said Colby Williams, a Regina-based hockey player.

Williams has been playing the Kontinental Hockey League for the past four seasons and played with the Regina Pats from 2012-2016.

As of Friday afternoon, the initiative has raised over $160,000. Since its launch in 1996, they’ve raised over $35 million across the country. The first event took place in the Greater Toronto Area, to buy survival kits for those living on the street.

All proceeds will go to the 15 service programs at Carmichael Outreach.

“When I started, I had no idea of the devastation of what we were actually facing in our city until I actually studied it myself,” said Janis Miller, the director of development at Carmichael Outreach.

In her six months at Carmichael, Miller said 3,500 meals are served each month, and 5,700 people visit to access services.

“That’s pretty rough, considering the population of Regina isn’t that big,” she said. “To see that many people come in, it’s quite sad. We’re only one of many organizations doing similar work in the community.”

After putting in a bid for the tournament 18 months ago, Bentz said Carmichael would be the best recommendation to help fight homelessness.

“I think like most people, you’re a bit sheltered from it. I think it’s an issue that you don’t see all the time,” he said. “I think there’s been some things that have happened in Regina in the last few years. Tent cities and things kind of popping up, I think that’s a bit more at the forefront, the things that you didn’t see maybe 10 years ago.”

While Williams completed his Pats career 10 years ago, he said he remembers accompanying police in East Hastings, speaking to those who were homeless.

“You get really up close and personal with their lives and what they’re going through,” he said. “When you came back here and we would go to small schools, we would speak in front of classrooms and talk about our experience.”

With nine teams in this year’s tournament, organizers hope next year’s will have 12 or more.