CARHA Hockey loves hearing stories about people using the game of hockey for the greater good, and the Ottawa Flyers' annual hockey tournament is a great example of that.

We had the opportunity to ask Dany Lacombe a few questions about the tournament!

Tell us about your tournament – when was it founded and how did it originate?

We started this event in 2007 to collect money for our goalie Robert Picard who lost his daughter from infectious disease. We thought it would be a good idea to help the family and have fun at the same time. We gathered eight teams - mostly guys we played against during the winter. We had a blast. The concept of playing three games in a span of six hours seems to appeal to diehards. It helps that we use an arena with two pads.

What charity were you raising money for in this year’s edition of the tournament?

This year’s charity was Matthew The Brave. Matthew’s parents Stéphanie and Bruno Paravan have been through a lot in the past eight years and we wanted to help them through these tough times. We raised $3,000 this year!

What is it about the hockey community that makes events such as these so successful?

The hockey community is charitable because we understand how lucky we have it. We still have the health to be able to play what we love. When we see kids suffer from an illness it is pretty tough not to be touched by it.

Do you have a favourite story from your tournament, whether it’s from this year or a previous year?

Last year, we were fortunate enough to have a team with one of the best players in the National Hockey League (NHL) in Claude Giroux. He was very generous with his time and offered a game stick for the charity.

What are your plans for the tournament in the future?

11 years now, not sure how many we have left but it will not end in the near future hopefully!