Local NHL stars take part in Easter Seals skate (17 photos)

Thunder Bay’s local NHLers have always been generous with their time.

No one knows that better than the organizers of the annual Easter Seals Celebrity Skate, which on Tuesday brought out five of the city’s hockey stars, including Eric, Marc and Jordan Staal, goaltender Carter Hutton and newly signed St. Louis Blues defenceman Robert Bortuzzo.

It’s an event Carolina Hurricanes forward Jordan Staal and his brother look forward to taking part in every summer.

“It’s for a good cause, it’s something we always enjoying doing and it’s fun hanging with the kids and we’ve kind of seen a few of them grow up a little bit,” the 26-year-old said before taking to the Tournament Centre ice.

“We’ve raised a lot of money and hopefully we can keep doing that.”

Brother Marc Staal, whose recent ankle surgery kept him from lacing up his skates, nonetheless spent the early evening posing for pictures and signing autographs for his eager young fans.

It’s an event he wouldn’t miss, he said.

“Every year we get to meet some kids we can help by showing up and skating around. Obviously the kids that raise the money do a great job and it’s a great event to be a part of. We’re proud to come here every year,” the second-eldest Staal brother said.

Older brother Eric, the captain of the Carolina Hurricanes, agreed wholeheartedly.

“It’s a good event. It’s always great to meet kids and put some smiles on faces. I’ve been doing it for a number of years now and we’ve raised some good money for a great cause and help out kids with disabilities,” he said.

“It’s great.”

Hutton, who spent his second full season in the NHL with the Nashville Predators backing up starter Pekka Rinne, said getting on the ice with the youngsters is the most fun part of the experience for him.

“I think that’s the biggest thing, getting to interact with everybody and for us it’s such a unique experience,” Hutton said.

Looking back at his own childhood days, he knows it’s a huge thrill for the kids to meet their NHL heroes.

“A lot of kids come up and they talk about their favourite thing from the year, their favourite goal, their favourite players. For us it’s fun and being able to take some photos and get to meet the kids one-one-one, it has a big impact on them and that means a lot to us.”

Bortuzzo, traded to St. Louis by Pittsburgh at the trade deadline, said he was only happy to lend his time to such a great fundraiser.

“I want to come out and put some smiles on some faces … It’s a great cause and we’re happy to interact with the kids.”

Rhonda Harrison, a senior development officer with Easter Seals Ontario, called it a unique opportunity. To participate, each child had to collect $50 in pledges.

The money will be put to good use, she said.

“Easter Seals helps families of children with disabilities. We help them purchase devices for mobility and communication devices. And we also have summer camp opportunities. We’re actually going to have some Easter Seals kids here tonight who will be attending camp this summer, so kids on the ice can actually see where the money is going,” Harrison said.