'It matters to people.' NHL stars promote mental health awareness in Fairfield at 4th annual Shoulder Check Showcase
The event honors the legacy of Hayden Thorsen, a Darien hockey player who died by suicide back in 2022.
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Fairfield was the ice hockey capital of the world for a night.
Hundreds of hockey fans from all over the tri-state packed Sacred Heart University's Martire Family Arena for the Fourth annual Shoulder Check Showcase.
The event honors the legacy of Hayden Thorsen, a Darien hockey player who died by suicide back in 2022.
"I think it's really important," McKenzie Budd of Darien says. "I think reaching out and checking in on people is one of the most important things you can involve in any game and any locker room conversation."
The showcase moved to Fairfield after being held at Terry Conners Rink in Stamford for the past three years.
"All the opportunities that Martire Family Arena offers us, and all the support we've had from the campus and the building," says Rob Thorsen, founder of Shoulder Check. "It's taken this thing exponentially further."
Nearly 30 NHL players took part, including Westport resident Shayne Gostisbehere, former New York Ranger winger Chris Kreider and Darien native and Stanley Cup champ Spencer Knight.
"Tonight is a night to celebrate the cause and have fun," Knight says. "I think it's a good thing for the community to get together, watch some good hockey, and have some fun."
Organizers say they're hoping to keep the showcase at Martire Family Arena for years to come...
"The more people that ask us, 'When are we doing it?'" Thorsen says. "The more that I know it matters to people."
Anaheim Ducks winger Chris Kreider says events like these can have powerful impacts.
"If we reach one person who's struggling tonight," Kreider says, "then the game is worth it."
