Pink flooded the rink at the Bracebridge Phantoms home game against the Gravenhurst Shield on Saturday.
Despite problems with the ice, pink jerseys, socks and pink-taped sticks streaked past fans in pink hats and blankets at the Bracebridge arena during the first “Pink in the Rink” game in Bracebridge, ending in a 4-3 win for the Shield.
The game started at 8:00 in honour of Breast Cancer Awareness Month with all proceeds going to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
Alison Blanchard, organizer of the event, said it’s the biggest crowd she’s seen at a game this year.
“We were blown away by the number of people that showed up on that wet, rainy, cold night,” she said.
Last year the Gravenhurst Shield hosted a similar event, also on a cold rainy night. Blanchard said the event improved this year because there are now two local teams and their fans participating.
Though the Shield players weren’t directly asked to participate, they showed their support by wearing pink shirts and ties when they arrived, and wearing pink laces and pink tape on their sticks during the game.
During the game, players were cheered on by pink cowbells, which were sold by organizers, as well as hard hats, mittens, and bracelets. The pink jerseys were also sold for a minimum of $50 or through a raffle, and there was a silent auction, prizes donated by local businesses. The event raised $2,100 for cancer research.
“I feel like we live in a pretty special community that embraces events like this,” Blanchard said, especially thanking the Phantoms for hosting the event.