For the second year in a row, Aberdeen hockey player John Laursen summoned players to his charity game – Play for a Purpose – at the Gardens Ice House in Laurel, Md.
This time around, the player who originally inspired it got to play.
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.
On Saturday, Apollon played in the game, after missing the first one due to another commitment. He even ended the game with a mock fight against a friend, but the bout concluded with hockey hugs.
The “Play for a Purpose ” game also featured players Chris ‘#2’ Barker – Bassist and vocalist of the band Anti-Flag, Ali Rogin – producer for PBS’s Newshour program, Sammi Silber – Capitals beat writer for The Hockey Writers, Chris Barron – a regular on Fox News and Fox Business, Shawn Stepner – a sports reporter for WMAR-2 News, and several others.
WUSA9 sports reporter Darren M. Haynes dropped the ceremonial puck.
Fresh off of a Calder Cup victory, 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.
The game wasn’t as close as it was last season, when the winning goal was scored with 1.8 seconds remaining. This time, the Black team held a comfortable lead going into the third period, but the Red team scored three goals to cut the lead to 6-4. The late push wasn’t enough as the Black team held on for a 7-4 win.
This year’s event sold three times as many tickets as last year, so expect “Play for a Purpose” to be around for years to come. Even Chris #2 said during his acoustic set that he wants to do this ‘every year.’
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.
[Racial Slurs Still Happen in Beer League Hockey]
See more photos of this event here.
