CHESTERMERE – In May of next year, the Chestermere recreation centre will play host to the 2012 Oilympics Hockey Marathon.
The marathon will feature a non-stop hockey game that will run from May 6 to 16, a total of 11 days.
The event is focused on raising funds for the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Chestermere resident and organizer Alex Halat said that the Oilympics group consists of a group of oil-patch workers who like to play hockey and get together to raise money for local charities in Calgary, Airdrie, Okotoks and Cochrane. They have been doing so for 21 years.
Halat said that not only will they be giving to the Children’s Hospital, but they will also be giving back locally. He said that five per cent of all the proceeds raised will stay in the community, going to Chestermere Minor Hockey.
Halat said that 100 per cent of the proceeds from the game will go to charities, but the game is all in honor of Diamond Marshall, the daughter of a friend, Lyall Marshall.
The idea to go forward with the longest hockey game came from Halat himself, who heard that some members of the Canadian women’s national team participated in breaking the record this past summer in Burnaby, BC. The previous record is 244 hours, and Halat said that they hope to set a new record of 254 total hours. So, the game will wrap up around 7 p.m. on May 16.
Details for the kickoff of the game are being kept under lock-and-key, but Halat said that some big names should be in attendance to help drop the puck, sing the anthem and officially kick things off.
The event has enough players to make up the actual hockey teams, but it still needs volunteers for various positions. Referee’s, scorekeepers, and people to accept donations are all still needed at all times of the day.
Halat said that anyone interested in volunteering can e-mail him at hockeymarathon2012@yahoo.com.
A spreadsheet with all of the available volunteer times will be e-mail to anyone who is willing to help.
For information about the hockey marathon, Diamond Marshall and the Oilympics organization, or to donate, go to hockeymarathon.com.
For event updates, follow them on Twitter: @hockeymarathon.
