THUNDER BAY -- Carter Hutton says NHLers are probably getting sick of hearing about Thunder Bay.
That’s understandable, given how many NHL players call this city home. It’s also still a good thing for the city.
An appearance from the Nashville Predators goalie was part of the official Tuesday announcement of this year's Freedom 55 Thunder Bay Hockey Celebrity Golf Classic. The charity tournament is being held on Friday July 25 at the Whitewater Golf Club in support of the hospital's Exceptional Cancer Care Campaign and other local organizations.
Hutton, who has become a mainstay of the annual golf tournament, says there are a lot of people in his life that are affected by cancer. He says he wants to keep coming back because "it's a great event to be a part of" and it's a day that he looks forward to.
"We hit the golf course, and you try to get paired with a different team," Hutton says. "You're always meeting other local businessmen or people in the community."
President and CEO of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation Glenn Craig was presented with a $10,000 donation from Freedom 55 during the announcement.
"It's great to have a cheque presentation, especially when it's one you can take to the bank," Craig said.
According to Tom Mihaljevic, the director and chairman of the golf classic, this year's fundraising goal is 50 thousand dollars.
"We're fortunate to have so many (NHL players) from Thunder Bay and more importantly willing and wanting to give a little of their time and their efforts to raise money for a great cause," he said.
According to both Hutton and Mihaljevic, word-of-mouth between friends and co-players about the event have helped it to grow over the years.
"Every year it gets a little bit easier because (the players) are waiting for the actual date and they're waiting to be invited," says Mihaljevic.
“This year we're reaching out to a number of players and we're just in the midst of making those arrangements."
Mihaljevic says he can't reveal who those players are yet, but organizers are hoping they’ll have 27 celebrity golfers.
"What I can tell you is they're coming from Vancouver and they're coming from Toronto, and if all goes well we might even have someone from Pittsburgh.”
