Hundreds of children and their families turned up for a new event at the indoor skating rink at 1000 de la Gauchetière St.
It’s called Skate for Kids and is meant to raise funds to support patients at the Shriners Hospital for Children. It was an open skate for families but there were several other activities including a mascot parade, tattoo station and a teddy bear clinic.
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Event spokesperson and Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher was on hand to talk to families and have pictures taken with them. Organizers say he was very involved in planning the event and that he regularly visits children at the Shriners.
“I think it just puts things into perspective,” Gallagher says of his visits to the hospital.
“I get as much out of it as the kids do. I go in there and I see the smile on the kids’ faces and you see how positive they are.”
He says it makes him feel as if he’s doing something important and meaningful, and that seeing them smile makes it all worth it.
Former Canadiens right winger Georges Laraque also attended the event as co-spokesperson.
WATCH BELOW: Georges Larque joins Global’s Laura Casella to talk about Skate for Kids fundraiser