Zach Parise’s Charity Game Was For All The Right Reasons

Sure it wasn’t the type of hockey game any true hockey fan was hoping for, but seeing 30 NHL stars lace em up for the Defending the Blue Line Charity makes any fan forget about the nasty lockout that is currently holding our game hostage and for a few hours, focus on the worthwhile cause.

The Defending the Blue Line Charity is one that helps military families endure the high costs of hockey that come with providing their children the opportunity to play the game.

Shane Hudella, founder and president of the charity had to have been blown away when he got the phone call from newly signed superstar Zach Parise, informing Hudella that he’d like to plan a game to help raise funds for the charity.

Hudella, who figured that the game that took place on Sunday night raised more than $50,000 to help the military kids play hockey, was humbled by the way Parise handled himself with the event.

"“If one good thing comes out of this lockout, it’s that we were able to play in this game,” Parise said. – courtesy of the Star Tribune."

Parise deserves a lot of credit for this game.  Here is a young man who just signed a contract for a ridiculous amount of money and now that he’s locked out, could have fled overseas to make more money.  But he instead stayed home and helped raise funds for a worthy cause that will no doubt help underprivileged military kids get to experience the rush that is hockey.

Some may say that Parise is greedy or that he makes too much money.  Maybe he does, but anytime a player of his magnitude gives back to a local event, it shows that these guys really do care about where they came from, making us all a fan of him no matter what he does on the ice from here on out.

At the end of the game, the Army team rallied to beat the Air Force 9-7 on shootout goals from Stephane Veilleux and Wild fan favorite Wes Walz.  But it was the Defending the Blue Line Charity that was the real winner and Zach Parise should be proud.

Now, let’s get him back on the real ice at the Xcel Energy Center where he can dazzle us with his smooth skating and slick puck handling skills that will no doubt lead the Wild to many future victories.  If only it was that simple.

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