{"id":786887,"date":"2026-07-27T07:30:19","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T07:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/786887\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T07:30:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T07:30:19","slug":"current-former-rangers-help-take-shoulder-check-showcase-initiative-to-next-level","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/786887\/","title":{"rendered":"Current, former Rangers help take Shoulder Check Showcase initiative to ‘next level’"},"content":{"rendered":"

New York Rangers News<\/a><\/p>\n

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This coming Thursday, many current and former New York Rangers will once again come together in Connecticut for the Shoulder Check Showcase<\/a>, the fourth consecutive summer this charity hockey game is played to support mental health awareness for teenagers.<\/p>\n

But thanks in part to the support and participation of Adam Fox<\/a>, Chris Kreider, Matt Rempe<\/a>, Dave Maloney<\/a> and others, this year\u2019s event plans to be bigger than ever. The showcase takes place this summer at Martire Family Arena on the campus of Sacred Heart University in Hamden.<\/p>\n

This NCAA arena is larger and more modern than the previous local rink in Stamford, where the showcase originated in 2023. It also has the facilities for NHL Network to come in and broadcast the event, with former Rangers center Brian Boyle serving as one of the commentators.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo disrespect to the town of Stamford and Terry Connors Arena, but going to Sacred Heart University, this is the next level,\u201d Maloney told Forever Blueshirts recently<\/a> on the Rink Rap podcast.<\/p>\n

Increasing the size and scope of the annual charity event is important because it helps the Shoulder Check initiative raise more money. Just as important, it allows members of Shoulder Check to spread awareness<\/a> about teenage suicide and the initiative\u2019s simple but powerful message: Reach Out. Check In. Make Contact.<\/p>\n

Hands on each other\u2019s shoulders is the image most often associated with Shoulder Check.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a right way to gauge impact,\u201d explained Rob Thorsen, who, along with his family, created Shoulder Check after his son Hayden \u2014 a 16-year-old high school goalie \u2014 took his life in 2022.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re building a brand around kindness and empathy. Our goal is not measured in dollars raised, though that money is important to help us achieve our goal. And that (goal) is mass awareness, participation, and reach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thorsen told Forever Blueshirts that Shoulder Check ran more than 125 programs this past year, working with NHL teams including the Rangers and Washington Capitals, as well as minor-league teams, youth hockey programs, and schools.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it\u2019s the smallest moments that make the biggest impact,\u201d Thorsen said. \u201cThere\u2019s almost never been a time when someone didn\u2019t say how this program helped them or someone they knew. That\u2019s impactful to me.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis crisis of loneliness and isolation has increasingly separated people from one another, especially kids, teenagers. One in three will have some form of mental illness. And the fact is that the first person they\u2019d accept help from is a friend. Our message is simple. Reach out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Straightforward and appealing\u2019 message part of Shoulder Check initiative impact<\/p>\n

Shoulder Check aims not to complicate the message.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe message is pretty straightforward and appealing, and I think that\u2019s pretty neat,\u201d Maloney said. \u201cI mean, people actually do like one another, and you can be encouraged not to be afraid to express that or to reach out, make contact. That\u2019s been the message, and it\u2019s a simple one, but sometimes people need to be encouraged to believe in the fact that there might be somebody out there where a simple gesture might have a positive impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Among NHL and PWHL players, Kreider and Bedford, New York, native Trevor Zegras of the Philadelphia Flyers have been on board with Shoulder Check since Day 1, often serving as spokesmen for the initiative and showcase event.<\/p>\n

Fox and Rempe will be joined by Rangers teammates J.T. Miller<\/a>, Pavel Dorofeyev<\/a>, Gabe Perreault<\/a>, and Drew Fortescue<\/a> at the Showcase on Thursday. Festivities begin outdoors at 4 p.m., gates open at 6 p.m., and the charity game starts at 6:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

Dorofeyev takes part every summer \u2014 he did so even before the Rangers acquired him<\/a> in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights this offseason. He and many other NHL players train with the famed Ben Prentiss in Connecticut, and Prentiss is a powerful advocate of the Shoulder Check initiative.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe game is our tentpole event, and it raises awareness about our overall message, and hopefully inspires people,\u201d Thorsen explained. \u201cIt\u2019s everything [the support of Prentiss and the players]. This doesn\u2019t exist without their partnership.<\/p>\n

Typically what\u2019s most emotional for Thorsen is when the players on the ice place their hands on the shoulder of the player next to them, and people in the crowd do the same with one another, whether they\u2019re family members, friends, or complete strangers.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook at this simple gesture. This could matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE<\/a>: For tickets to the 2026 Shoulder Check Summer Showcase<\/p>\n

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\t\tJim Cerny is Executive Editor at Forever Blueshirts and Managing Editor at Sportsnaut, with more than 30 years of … More about Jim Cerny<\/a><\/p>\n

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