WILL KARR
Editor in Chief
At this past Saturday’s game, Fredonia’s men’s hockey players jerseys looked a little different on the ice. The game wasn’t just any ordinary or average game. Rather, it was ‘Pink the Rink.’ Audience members and players came to the rink donning pink as the team faced off against Potsdam.
Pink the Rink first started at SUNY Fredonia in 2008. Greg Hoffman, who was an assistant coach at the time, came up with the idea for the event to honor his mother who had breast cancer.
In addition to being an assistant coach, Hoffman was a sports management professor. His students rallied behind him and the event.
The first time the event was hosted, event goers wore pink and offered donations. However, as the event approached its second year, players began wearing pink jerseys and knee socks to show support for the cause themselves. The event is held each year in February during National Cancer Prevention Awareness Month and all proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society.
During its beginning years, the event was featured on ESPN. The team has been hosting the event for nearly 15 years and this will be the first time it has taken place again since the pandemic in 2020-21.
Jeff Meredith, Fredonia Men’s Ice Hockey head coach, said that with the donations from this year’s event, Pink the Rink has raised over $100,000 dollars for the American Cancer Society since its onset. In 2014, Meredith was recognized by the American Cancer Society with the 2013 Coach of the Year Award for making a difference in fighting against cancer in the Eastern Division. This year marks Meredith’s 35th season serving as coach of the team.
“The jerseys for the event cost $250 dollars each. When someone buys a jersey, they get to tell me the name that they want on the back of the jersey,” Meredith said. “The name on the jersey is a tribute to a person battling cancer or who has [passed away] due to cancer.”
Donors each receive the jersey from the players following the game in an on the ice ceremony.
Players are wearing more than just simply a name on the rink. Rather, they are representing the stories and faces of those who have experienced cancer. Players have the option to wear the name of their own loved one.
The program for the event contains biographies detailing each individual’s unique experience, which adds what Meredith describes as a more “personal touch.”
“There is a lot of emotion in somebody writing a biography about someone that they may love who is no longer here anymore,” Meredith said.
Meredith explained the overall importance of athletic teams finding ways to give back to communities.
“[Pink the Rink] is a big part of our team and program,” Meredith said. “The campus and community really rallies around it. You have close to 1,000 people waiting in the lobby each year on a Saturday night. They are there 30 minutes to an hour before. It all really brings a lot of energy, and it’s an emotional game. Players are playing for somebody else so there is a little bit more of a responsibility.”
Logan Dyck, player #31 and a junior criminal justice major, wore a jersey to honor his grandfather Allan’s battle with cancer. This year’s event marked Dyck’s first Pink the Rink because the event didn’t take place during his first two years at Fredonia due to COVID.
“Pink the Rink means a lot to me. I’ve known a number of people affected by cancer — both family and friends,” Dyck said.“My jersey is for my grandpa who has cancer. Pink the Rink is a great tradition and … I am excited to be a part of giving back.”
Cam Birkeland, player #5 on the team and a junior computer science major, expressed his overall thoughts about the event. This year’s event was Birkeland’s first Pink the Rink as well.
“For me, I think it’s a great way to shed light on people who have either gone through cancer or are going through it right now to just give them the recognition they deserve for fighting it,” Birkeland said. “I think it’s really cool to put a spotlight on it and remember people and their fight.”
Unlike Birkeland and Dyck, this years event is #4 Craig McCabe’s second Pink the Rink. His first Pink the Rink was in February of 2020, a month before the COVID shutdown.
“It’s definitely cool to wear different jerseys and to be in the atmosphere of everyone supporting each other,” McCabe said. “Everyone there has a big smile on their face. It’s definitely a good time, and I think everyone enjoys it.”
Meredith explained how this year’s event is overall different from previous years.
“This year, the front and back sleeves of each of the players’ jerseys contain every name that has ever appeared on the back of the jersey throughout the history of the event,” Meredith said. “This year, we are not only honoring just one year of jersey recipients, but the whole duration of the program in honor of going over $100,000 dollars.”
Meredith said that he always looks forward to hosting the event every year.
“I think a lot of people may do Pink the Rink, but I don’t think anyone does it like we do it with the personal touch of the names on the jersey,” Meredith said.