(Photos by Caps Outsider)
Aberdeen hockey player John Laursen’s plan to hold a charity game – Play for a Purpose – finally came to fruition Thursday, nearly four years after the ugly incident that inspired it.
Back in December of 2018, 13-year-old Divyne Apollon II and his travel team, the Maryland Maple Leafs, played a game against a team from Pennsylvania, which turned violent after opposing players directed ‘monkey sounds’ and other taunts at him. Apollon, who is Black, was suspended from the game for fighting.
His story didn’t go unnoticed. The media picked it up. The Washington Capitals reached out. Tammi Lynch, a mother of one of his teammates, designed the Players Against Hate logo, then created a non-profit organization to fight hatred and bigotry in hockey. Soon, Laursen reached out to Lynch about getting involved.
“I’ve done charity games and events in the past which primarily focused on special needs,” Laursen said. “What could we do together to raise more awareness, and raise funds for a great cause? That’s kind of where we led to… here.”
Just as they were set to play the game in March of 2020, the Covid-19 lockdowns hit, delaying the event more than two years.
The “Play for a Purpose ” game, held Thursday at The Gardens Ice House, in Laurel, Md., featured Chris ‘#2’ Barker – Bassist and vocalist of the band Anti-Flag, William Douglas – NHL Staff writer and founder of The Color of Hockey, Shawn Stepner – a sports reporter for WMAR-TV in Baltimore, Chris Barron – a regular on Fox News and Fox Business, Danielle McLean – University of Maryland women’s hockey coach, Peter Robinson – Washington Capitals Director of Youth Hockey Development, and Brennen Smith – University of Maryland Men’s Hockey Assistant Coach. Hershey Bears announcer Jarrod Wronski announced for the tournament. Several players and coaches from the Baltimore Banners, participated in the event, as their founder, Noel Acton, cheered from the stands.
Prior to the game, Acton, winner of the 2021-22 Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award, was summoned to the ice for the ceremonial puck drop. But first, he was presented with a proclamation certificate signed by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan.
“[They] said I was gonna drop the puck,” Acton said. “I didn’t know anything about the rest of the presentation. That was a real surprise.”
The game itself proved to be worth the wait, as the score bounced back and forth and was tied at six in the final minute. With 1.8 seconds remaining, the black team scored the winning goal, leading to celebrations and smiles all around.
As for the future of “Play for a Purpose,” which raised the funds for “Hockey Against Hate,” Laursen said he’s looking to do more, including getting more hockey-playing musicians involved, and holding charity concerts. “Hopefully in the future, maybe have a charity tournament around and maybe make this a keystone event.”
Players Against Hate’s mission is to:
- Develop educational materials against hate to be used to teach players, coaches, officials, sports organizations, and spectators that hate has no place on the bench, in the game, or in the stands.
- Sponsor scholarships with monies raised by Players Against Hate to support athletes of color who want to play sports that have traditionally been less diverse.
- Grow the movement beyond hockey to other youth sports where hate impacts the athletes.
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