The North Bay Battalion will be auctioning off game-worn jerseys to help raise money for Noah Dugas – the 13-year-old local hockey player currently recovering from a stroke caused by a blood clot.
“I think collectively as a group we were sitting around thinking about some things that we could do and this was a no-brainer for us,” explained Adam Dennis, General Manager of the North Bay Battalion. “We have the jerseys that are there and we have someone in our hockey community and our local community who’s in need. So, we felt like it was an obvious thing and it was a collective team effort.”
Dugas has captured the attention of the hockey world after his cousin, Megan posted a tweet calling on notable figures to send support to Noah.
In just a few days, the tweet was shared thousands of times, resulting in positive messages from notable teams, players and figures within the hockey community.
Dennis says that the support the community has shown to Dugas is indicative of his character.
“I think the outpouring of support speaks volumes to Noah himself and his family. Obviously, there’s a lot of love for them and I think that speaks volumes to the type of people they are,” Dennis noted.
And Dennis, who has been involved in the game his entire life, knows that those in the hockey community have a tendency to band together for one of its own.
“I think the whole hockey community can kind of feel it – we all feel like he’s part of the family. I think it speaks to how important the hockey community is – we all pull together in times like this and show our support,” he said.
Over the weekend, the Noah Strong Facebook page issued an update on the situation.
“On behalf of the Dugas and Luesby family, we would like to extend our most sincere thank you for your generous donations during this difficult time for Noah, Jody, Dave and Jorja. Your generosity will help support the journey that Noah and his family will face moving forward. Each day, Noah continues to show strength, perseverance and determination on his road to recovery,” the post read. The Facebook page has been running for less than two weeks and has amassed over 1,000 followers.
In addition to the Battalion’s jersey auction, Nipissing Lakers women’s hockey head coach, Darren Turcotte has been selling T-shirts with proceeds being donated to Dugas’ family. The two teams join the collaborative efforts from businesses and organizations across the community who have been raising funds.
The Battalion will be auctioning off jerseys worn by Justin Brazeau, Matthew Struthers, Joe Vrbetic and an autographed sweater from the current head coach, Ryan Oulahen.
You can bid on the jerseys by clicking here. The auction will be open until October 16. All proceeds will be donated to the Noah Strong GoFundMe page.
