It might sound like a cliché—but, as anyone who’s ever played on a team as a kid knows, hockey is so much more than just a game. Teaching children about respect, teamwork, and the importance of training, hockey practice has long been a petri-dish for essential life-skills.

Recognizing the importance of the sport, the registered charity Skate to Great has made it their mission to empower marginalized youth by providing them with hockey equipment. Pairing up new and used hockey skates, figure skates, and pre-loved pads with various schools, youth programs, and charities across the country, Skate to Great gives kids the opportunity to play a game that is often prohibitively expensive.

Every spring, Skate to Great travels across the country, encouraging Canadians to hunt through their garages for hockey equipment no longer in use. Spearheading a donation drive, the charity will be at the Toyota Plaza (the corner of Expo Boulevard and Patt Quinn Way) outside Rogers Arena at the Canucks home game this Friday (March 31) to collect any unwanted kit.

For those unable to make the event, Skate to Great has partnered with various FedEx locations to help send the equipment to their warehouses. Inviting Vancouverites to drop off their hockey gear until May 31, FedEx will ship equipment to Skate to Great’s facility, which then freshens up older pads, threads new laces onto skates, and distributes the kit across the country.

For those who can’t find any gear in their attics, individuals can text SKATE to 41010 to make a cash donation. Every contribution will enter you into a contest to win a pair of lower bowl tickets to the last home game of the season on April 8, when the Canucks take on the Edmonton Oilers.

Making hockey more accessible to all, Skate to Great gives youngsters in need a chance to hit the ice—because even Wayne Gretzky had to start somewhere.

Skate to Great’s equipment drive is at Toyota Plaza (corner of Expo Boulevard and Pat Quinn Way) at Rogers Arena on Friday (March 31). Donations will be accepted from 2 p.m. until 7 p.m. 

Follow Kate Wilson on Twitter @KateWilsonSays