UPDATE: The Okanagan Hockey Heroes Weekend has been postponed until further notice.

As a rookie in the 1987-1988 season, Joe Nieuwendyk had 51 goals and 92 points for the Calgary Flames.

Each year, stroke claims the lives of over 13,000 Canadians. It is the third leading cause of death in Canada.

The statistic that most people pay attention to may not be the most important statistic.

Heart & Stroke Hockey Heroes Weekend will be coming to Kelowna on June 10th to 12th to bring awareness to the effects of heart disease and stroke in Canada. This event will see hockey heroes Joe Nieuwendyk, Wade Redden, Paul Coffey, Brad May, and more faceoff to raise funds for the Heart & Stroke Foundation.

Kelowna: This is your chance to hit the ice with NHL legends that grace the Hockey Hall of Fame, in support of a great cause! The event allows people in the community to register to play alongside these former NHL stars, while raising money that will go towards important research in heart disease and stroke.

The weekend will begin with a ‘draft’ at the Laurel Packinghouse on Friday, June 10th. While each participating player is encouraged to raise $500, the top fundraising teams will earn the first picks of which NHL alum they would like to have on their team.

Round robin games will take place on the Saturday and Sunday before the Hockey Heroes Game, when  the top 12 individual fundraisers, plus the two top fundraising goalies, will play with all of the NHL Alumni, followed up by the Closing Ceremony.

The goal of the Okanagan Hockey Heroes Weekend is to raise over $75,000 for The Heart & Stroke Foundation. These funds will make a difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of Canadians that have been or will be affected by heart disease and/or stroke.

Rattling off the statistics of NHL alumni may be impressive, but helping to make a difference in the lives of fellow Canadians is even more so.

Registration for Okanagan Hockey Heroes Weekend closes on April 29th, 2016, so make sure to sign your team up soon!

KelownaNow sponsored content is written and posted in partnership with participating businesses. While KelownaNow retains editorial control of sponsored content, the content is created in collaboration with the sponsor.