Londoners will get an opportunity to use their best poker faces to help fund concussion research and rehabilitation.
San Jose Sharks centre Logan Couture has announced he will host the first annual “All-in for Brain Research” charity casino on Wednesday, August 16 at Centennial Hall in London.
Proceeds from the event will be split equally between concussion awareness programs run by the Fowler Kennedy Sport Medicine Clinic and concussion research at Western University.
The event is the first of its kind in London and will be black-tie optional for those who want to look the part.
The list of hockey celebrities scheduled to take part already includes Eric Lindros, current San Jose Sharks forward (and former London Knights captain) Chris Tierney and Hockey Night in Canada host Ron MacLean, as well as Olympians Derek Drouin (gold medalist in high jump) and Damian Warner (bronze medalist in decathlon).
Dr. Arthur Brown was nicknamed “Dr. Sunshine” by Eric Lindros because he was the only person Lindros encountered who had a positive outlook on concussions when Lindros was suffering through the after-effects of head injuries sustained while playing hockey.
Brown has devoted his life to concussion research, but says you can’t measure the impact that occurs when sports stars like Couture get involved in the cause.
“It’s really important to have someone like Logan or someone like Eric Lindros drawing attention to the whole matter of concussion, first of all in the form of public awareness,” he said.
“The public needs to know about concussion, and what to do when they have a concussion. They also need to know that there are things to do — that it’s not bleak. And then to have their names and their faces drawing attention means money, and that money goes to support research… so it’s the future.”
The plan is for the charity night to become an annual event.
Couture was struck in the face by a slap shot in March and while he avoided a concussion, he did suffer extensive injuries.
Event organizers plan to have a red-carpet entrance out front of Centennial Hall, which will give attendees a chance to meet some of the stars involved.
For more information about the event, contact event chairperson Jeff Fischer at jeff@fischer.associates.
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