Shoulder Check Showcase charity game grows in 2nd year

STAMFORD, Conn. -- In the beginning, the Shoulder Check Showcase was a scrimmage featuring NHL players, alumni and professional women's hockey players, with proceeds going to the HT40 Foundation to support what Sarah and Rob Thorsen's 16-year-old son, Hayden Thorsen, did to bring people together with kindness and compassion, leaving no one isolated. 

Rob Thorsen's first hope was Shoulder Check would be a platform to launch new initiatives in honor of Hayden, a sophomore goalie at Darien High School and the Junior Rangers in the Mid Fairfield Youth Hockey Association who committed suicide May 21, 2022. One year after the inaugural event, the Shoulder Check Showcase returned to Terry Conners Rink on Thursday with double the attention, nearly triple the audience and publicity that led to appearances on "Good Morning America" and CBS New York, ringing the opening bell at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York City and branding at Times Square for World Emoji Day.

During rare breaks to catch her breath from putting a bow on six months of breakneck planning, Sarah took a step back and looked at what her family and dedicated, tireless volunteers had accomplished so quickly. 

"I said to Rob, ‘I hope you can take a moment and reflect on how amazing this is,’" Sarah said. "Shoulder Check is one year old, and the fact that we have so many people rallying around it and so many people helping us. I think they're quite inspired by it. But I think the simplicity of the idea, and the fact that so many people want it and feel and need it, is why it's catching on. So now it's just, ‘How do we take that momentum and keep going, touch more people, do more things, really get peer-to peer engagement going? How big can it be?’ We want to be as big as possible."

The event Thursday was big enough to attract an overflow crowd that paid $100 to watch live hockey in the middle of the summer. Master of ceremonies Dave Maloney, the former NHL defenseman, said one out of every four people is struggling with mental health, usually in silence. He then asked fans to raise their left hand, place it on the right shoulder of the person next to them and recite Hayden's wellness doctrine:

"Reach out. Check in. Make contact."

Maloney teased the crowd, saying the first attempt wasn't as good as last year. The second time, he took a deep break and said, "Wow, that was awesome."

Three two-word sentences created a bond with strangers. Grammy Award-winning operatic baritone John Brancy then performed "The Star-Spangled Banner," as he has done preceding many big games for the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Chris Kreider joined Rangers teammates Matt Rempe and Jonathan Quick to play the game, stressing the importance of reaching out to one another, especially in a business where not everyone may want to do so.

"You see the state of our world, of what kids have to go through now," Kreider said. "I think that hockey community is incredibly close. You see guys at their best and see guys at their worst. You lean on guys. That's something that can extend beyond what happens on the ice. That's a sign of strength."

Players are more dialed in regarding mental health than ever. It was nearly three years ago that Carey Price, the winningest goalie in Montreal Canadiens history, voluntarily entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program on Oct. 7, 2021. Other players followed, including Florida Panthers goalie Spencer Knight on Feb. 24, 2023. Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine has received care in the program since Jan. 28 and hasn’t played since breaking a clavicle during a 6-5 overtime loss at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Dec. 14, 2023.

During Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis' days as a player, there was less awareness about mental health. Knight's struggles helped give the issue greater attention in an era when too often it's a challenge to slow down.

"I think we live in a world now, it's very chaotic," said St. Louis, a Hockey Hall of Fame forward who played in the NHL from 1998-2015. "There's so much distraction in the world right now. You get pulled in so many different directions and so much influence, some positive but a lot of negative too. It's kind of cool the way it relates to hockey with Shoulder Check, so to speak. I think it's something that we should all get better at in our day-to-day life and helping one another, making sure everybody's OK."

Well-being was important enough for U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy on May 3, 2023, about 10 weeks before the inaugural Shoulder Check event, to release an advisory calling attention to the public health crisis of loneliness, isolation and lack of connection. Rob said he didn't consider it validation but knew his cause was on the right path. Among the report's six pillars is cultivating a culture of connection, with informal practices of everyday life significantly influencing relationships and rebuilding community organizations.

"That's squarely where we operate," Rob said. "On that front, I feel like we're delivering on the mandate that they laid out there.

"There's stuff out there that says you're not alone, and that's awesome. We're just trying to add on to that sentence by saying, 'You're not alone because I'm right here with you.’"

It's what made Hayden who he was, and it gives Rob and Sarah reason to believe the third event will be even bigger.

Sarah took another deep breath and thought, “Why not?”

"It can be huge," Sarah said. "We should try. I thought this morning, I'm like, ‘Man, “Hades” would be proud.’ He is so present."