Travis Roy Hockey Classic continues to help raise money for spinal cord injury survivors, caregivers

NEW YORK -- Travis Roy may be gone, but his impact and legacy continue to shine.

That was evident again Wednesday at the eighth annual Travis Roy Hockey Classic, which was played at Madison Square Garden to raise money for The Travis Roy Center for Enhanced Independence at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston. Those who raised or donated a minimum of $3,000 played 60 minutes and got to gather in a suite to watch the New York Rangers defeat the Minnesota Wild 5-4 in overtime.

"I think the big thing for us as a family is we know how much this money means and the help that it provides to spinal cord [injury] survivors," Lee Roy, Travis' father, said. "They are going to be able to do things that they otherwise couldn't do. There's nothing more expensive than being a spinal cord survivor. So any financial help that we can provide, for this tournament to raise that kind of money for an hour of ice time … that's the impact that Travis had on people. They wanted to support Travis and that's what this tournament continues to do."

The Travis Roy Foundation was established in 1996, shortly after Travis, who was 20 at the time, was paralyzed from the neck down on a play 11 seconds into his first shift for Boston University. Roy cracked his fourth vertebra when he attempted to check North Dakota defenseman Mitch Vig but missed and went headfirst into the glass.

The foundation ended in 2022 because Roy had asked for the charity to cease operations following his death (he died at age 45 on Oct. 29, 2020), but his legacy lives on in the game and rehabilitation center in his name.

Since its inception, the Travis Roy Hockey Classic has raised more than $1.7 million, including more than $170,000 this year, to help those impacted by spinal cord injuries. This year, the proceeds will support the Workforce Development Fund at the Travis Roy Center for Enhanced Independence, which will provide resources to hire a dedicated staff member with experience with spinal cord injuries to help patients and families in recovery.

The center at Spaulding, which launched Oct. 28, 2022, is supported by a $2.1 million grant from the Travis Roy Foundation and will help improve independence and quality of life for those with tetraplegia (quadriplegia) while serving their families and caregivers.

Dr. Randy Trumbower is an associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School, and executive director of Spaulding's new center.

"The mission of the Travis Roy Center is to accelerate the independence of people with spinal cord injury paralysis, those who have had the most catastrophic form, like tetraplegia, neck injuries," Trumbower said. "Everything we do and have done is on the shoulders of Travis Roy and the vision that he had moving forward on how to give back to those that have had recent injuries or those who haven't had injuries yet. As a caregiver of someone with a spinal cord injury, we had a lot of conversations about how we can join forces. When he passed away, we realized there was opportunity for us to continue the legacy of Travis."

The lifetime cost for someone with a spinal cord injury can range between $1 million and $5 million, so the money raised by the foundation and charity game have gone a long way.

"Within the last year, we've connected and supported over 100 patients and their family members within the Spaulding Rehab Hospital and they've gone home with over 400 different devices or technologies that has equated to about $500 for each individual that they don't have to spend on this," Trumbower said. "So it's an accelerant for them to get home and be independent."

In addition to the financial aspect, independence also is an important part of the journey to recovery. Dianne Vitkus, the resource program manager at the Travis Roy Center, was an athlete herself before sustaining a spinal cord injury.

"I have the honor and privilege of meeting patients and their families and guiding them through the complexities of the recovery and providing them with the technology, resources, encouragement to thrive in the hospital and well beyond that," she said. "I know firsthand what it's like to lose that independence after a spinal cord injury and I see that with other people who have suffered a spinal cord injury, and to lose that independence is devastating. So what the center is trying to do with the help and support raised tonight is getting those smart home technology and adaptive technology is critical after a SCI and we're able to provide that with the center."

Several former NHL players, including former Rangers Stephane Matteau, Brian Mullen and Adam Graves, as well as Kevin Westgarth, NHL vice president of hockey development and strategic collaboration, took part in the game.

"It's a great event," Mullen said. "Last year I played in it, I met the Roy's for the first time, and they treated me like family and they asked me to come back this year and there was no hesitation. We all know the story of Travis Roy, and anything I can do to help raise money and contribute to this, I'm going to do. They turned a tragedy into such a positive thing now and helping others and doing this event that we all come and have fun and enjoy the people around us and raise some money for it."

Almost 30 years after that tragic incident in 1996, thousands have benefitted and seen their quality of life improve because of what Travis Roy started.

"The foundation in 25 years raised over $25 million and what that did to help people," Lee Roy said. "It's a bucket-list item to come to Madison Square Garden and play hockey here, but also to know that they are helping a cause that they obviously believe in, and they believe in Travis."

Scott Litner, global sports and entertainment director at Morgan Stanley, was friends with Roy and started the annual charity game. His father also suffered a spinal cord injury and spent several months at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.

"Travis touched and continues to touch so many lives, and despite his challenges, he lived every day to the fullest and motivated countless people," Litner said. "Travis loved hockey, and this game continues his goal of helping those who have endured spinal cord injuries."