Veteran suicide remains a national crisis — and this weekend, dozens of veterans will take to the ice for an almost day-long hockey game in hopes of bringing awareness to the problem.
The fifth annual Hockey Heals 22 event kicks off at 2 p.m. on Saturday at AdventHealth Center Ice in Wesley Chapel.
Mission Roll Call, a nonprofit dedicated to veterans, is partnering with the Lightning Warriors Hockey Program and the Malone Family Foundation to host this year’s event.
Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jim Whaley is CEO of Mission Role Call. He said the 22-hour-long game symbolizes the average daily number of veterans lost to suicide in the U.S.
ALSO READ: Two Tampa-area women veterans talk about their experiences in the military
“It's a national problem, it really is an embarrassment to our country that we are losing this many,” Whaley said. “In fact, we’ve lost more veterans to suicide than we did since 9-11.”
The event has grown over the years, and Whaley said he expects about 600 people to attend this weekend’s game.
Former NHL players Ryan Malone and Karl Alzner, along with University of Florida alumni and other local athletes, will play members of the Lightning Warriors Hockey program, a Tampa-based team of disabled veterans.
Additional NHL alumni are also expected to attend, as well as Ben Voigt, a former member of the band Ashes & Arrows and a semi-finalist on America’s Got Talent.
Whaley suggests that if someone knows a veteran, then you should ask them about their experience.
“I talk to veterans every day,” Whaley said. “You always see a spark in their eye when they talk about what they did or what they’re doing now. There’s enormous pride in that, and it helps validate what they served for and sacrificed.”
The game will run through Sunday at 2 p.m. and is open to the public. AdventHealth Center Ice is located at 3173 Cypress Ridge Blvd in Wesley Chapel.
For people unable to attend in person, Mission Roll Call will post updates and behind-the-scenes content throughout the weekend on their social media accounts.
Whaley said he will consider the event a success if it makes an impact on even a single person.
“I’m hoping that this event makes a difference in one veteran's life, and that it may stop a chain of events that maybe that person was going in the wrong direction,” he said.
If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
