With Thanksgiving Weekend now behind us, I wanted to take the time to share a story that most Kings fans should be thankful for.
For anyone looking for something in the LA Kings world to be thankful for, how about Kevin Fiala and the program he ran on Wednesday afternoon.
The Kings did not hold a team practice, day off from on-ice activities, but that didn’t stop Fiala from getting out there. Fiala hosted his annual Fiala’s Friends skate at Toyota Sports Performance Center in El Segundo, as he hosted children and families from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles for an on-ice skate, lunch afterwards and a tour of the team’s locker room and facilities.
“Just to give back something around Thanksgiving is awesome, to do something like that,” Fiala said. “Thanks to the Kings, they’ve helped out a lot.”
The Kings have helped out a lot, sure, but none of this happens without Fiala’s drive and commitment to giving back within the community he now calls home.
Fiala has had a community presence everywhere he’s been, in Nashville and Minnesota, as well as back home in Switzerland. Los Angeles has been no different for him. The Fiala’s Friends program has taken on many different roles and worn many different hats, but it’s all around a central theme of giving back.
“I'm very proud of that,” Fiala said of the program he and the organization have worked to build. “It's been very fun to do something like that, to build something up like you said, with the children, they have lots of fun, so it's been cool. I'm excited to continue.”
Over the summer, Fiala organized a charity game in Zurich, as he led a team of European-born NHL players against the local club, the ZSC Lions. All proceeds raised from the game went to the Children’s Hospital in St. Gallen to support critically ill children, as well as to the youth programs of the ZSC Lions and EHC Uzwil.
That’s been a central theme of the charity work that Fiala has done since joining the Kings – helping children in the community.
Hospital visits have been regular for Fiala, both as a part of team-scheduled trips and visits he has scheduled on his own. He’s also invited kids out to Kings games and he's committed his time, win or lose, to meet with them after the game for a personal moment. He doesn’t do it for stories like this, for coverage, for notability. He does it for what it means to those impacted. For what they’re going through and what their usual days entail. To give them just one day to forget about all that is Fiala’s goal.
“It means a lot to me, just to give something back to them,” he said. “Going to the Children's Hospital, or inviting kids to games, all that stuff. Just kind of see the smiles on their faces, forget about, a little bit, what they're going through and just having a great time, that's my goal, to have them that day. Just have fun.”
Fiala himself recently became a father, as he and his wife Jessica welcomed their daughter Masie-Mae in May of 2024.
As a young father, he admitted days like this are something he thinks about even more, from the perspective of the parents who get to see their children have a special day. His community involvement has gone long before that, though, and will certainly continue.
“When you’re a dad, you think about a little bit more, but I’ve always had a special place in my heart for stuff like that,” he added. “I've always been very emotional to that case. I just want to love and support how I can.”
A coach/player relationship isn't quite the same as being a father, but you could certainly see the pride on Kings Head Coach Jim Hiller's face when speaking about Fiala's commitment and program.
Hiller said his daughter was the one who sent him the photos from the skate and he immediately went to his phone to reach out Fiala, just to express how proud he was of the work he's putting in.
"My daughter showed me that and I immediately sent Kevin a message and just told him the respect I had for that and how proud we all are of him. It's awesome. On his own like that, I mean, what more can you say, that's a heck of a good guy doing something like that."
The beauty of it all is that Fiala will keep it going, as long as he's here, making a different in the lives of people who could use it. It's part of the beauty of what makes his program so special and will continue to do so. As we exit the Thanksgiving season, it's important not to forget about something we should really appreciate around this time of the year. In the season of giving, Kevin Fiala set such a good example, one we'd all do well to follow.
