For the third consecutive season, the Greater Toronto Hockey League hosted an Indigenous Hockey Equipment Drive in support of Indigenous youth in Canada. The drive took place as part of the Under-18 All-Star Festival fuelled by Gatorade and the I Play in the G Festival on Saturday, January 24 at Scotiabank Pond.
Originally planned as a two-day initiative, the second day of the equipment drive — slated for Sunday, January 25 — was cancelled due to the snowstorm that rolled through Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. Despite the cancellation, the equipment drive still managed to be a great one-day success thanks to everyone’s support.
The drive collected 10 full hockey bags at the event, with two additional bags collected afterward, along with approximately 20 hockey sticks. The drive also made a new community contact who is interested in hosting their own hockey equipment drive this coming spring, helping to extend the impact of the initiative beyond the festival weekend.
“The Indigenous Hockey Equipment Drive thoroughly enjoys attending the I Play in the G Festival each year as local members of the GTHL hockey community make generous donations to our initiative,” said Graham McWaters, Founder of the Indigenous Hockey Equipment Drive.
Dating back to the first equipment drive held in 2024, the GTHL with the Indigenous Equipment Drive, has collected a total of:
- 177 full hockey bags of equipment
- 389 hockey sticks
- $1,100 financial donation
The Indigenous Hockey Equipment Drive is one of the main pillars of diversity and inclusion with Their Opportunity, which assists with planning, logistics, social media, and the online presence for cash donations to buy new helmets and support any transportation costs. For more information about the Indigenous Equipment Drive, click here. For more information about Their Opportunity, click here.
The GTHL thanks all those who took the time to donate to and support this year’s Indigenous Hockey Equipment Drive.
