Nicole Perry December 19, 2023
In a pink sweater, a white toque and a smile, 31-year-old Victoria Arundel walks onto the ice across a rolled out carpet at the Sandman Centre during the Kamloops Blazers’ Breast Cancer Awareness Night. Arundel is representing others such as herself who are going through cancer treatment as she drops the puck this year instead of a survivor.
To raise funds for breast cancer research, employees dressed in full pink attire man booths decked out with pink balloons, selling some new products among the usual goodies. But the puck toss at second intermission is the main source of fundraising. People purchase these pucks from the booths and toss them as close to centre ice as they can for prizes.
Missy Cedarholm, ticketing and promotions coordinator for the organization, says the puck drop can be very meaningful to people in the crowd and especially for the family and friends of the person being recognized.
“I’m not typically somebody who would like to do something like that out in the public,” Arundel tells The Wren. “But after being diagnosed with breast cancer, I’m like, you know, let’s just do everything, just say yes to everything.”
Arundel discovered a lump during a routine self-examination in June 2023 and got it checked out. After many tests, she found out she had triple-negative breast cancer, with a tumour over four centimetres, and has been doing chemotherapy since September.
“You hop on Google, you try and look at everything,” Arundel says. “So the fear was there initially because I have a rare breast cancer and it’s quite aggressive and the numbers online are scary.”
But reading people’s stories and advice online has relieved some of that initial anxiety, and sharing her story through the puck drop might do that for others.
“Just getting through this for me and my family and being that strong, positive person to represent breast cancer is what I try and do,” Arundel says, voice filled with emotion.
“When I see people, they give me an extra long hug and I know that means,” she says. “If I can be positive and they [family] can see I’m doing well, then hopefully that helps them through the process too.”
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS NIGHT
The Blazers have been doing Breast Cancer Awareness Night in partnership with Safeway for years, according to Cedarholm.
“We’ve done pink tape, pink laces, different elements that the players can participate in,” she says of past initiatives.
But recently, they have been less involved, something Dylan Sydor, right wing and top scorer for the Blazers, remembers about last year’s Breast Cancer night, saying, “Our team didn’t do a part of it which sucks.”
Sydor isn’t alone. Dylan Ernst, top goalie for the Blazers, who has a personal connection to the cause, wishes they did more. He lost his grandpa to a rare case of male breast cancer when he was around ten years old.
He says he remembers visiting his grandpa in the hospital and feeling like everything was happening so fast.
“That part was kind of scary, I guess,” he says. “That was also the first time I’ve seen my dad cry too.”
“There could easily be way more stuff and way more effort into it,” Ernst says about the Blazers Breast Cancer night. “I think it’s good for any team to get involved in stuff like this. We don’t really hear much about it unless it’s on those nights.”
According to the Tri-City Americans’ website, they have a special night for breast cancer awareness where they paint the ice pink and auction off themed jerseys worn by the players.
“I think a lot of us would have done pink laces, pink tape. But I don’t think we were told,” Ernst says. “It’s pretty disappointing.”
Breast cancer awareness nights are pretty similar each year, Cedarholm says.
“In the past, we’ve done jersey nights as well where we do a special themed jersey and auction it off with proceeds going to breast cancer.”
Ernst says his mom, who struggled with depression in the aftermath of his grandfather’s death, loves these types of nights.
Her reaction to his grandpa’s death was the worst part for him he says, remembering hearing her screaming from her bathroom.
“I knew what happened and it’s just a memory that probably will never go away from me.”
But this year there was no pink tape, pink laces or pink jerseys on the ice. Still, PA announcements keep the audience informed throughout the night, shouting out survivors, advertising the products at the booths and announcing the puck toss and its fundraising aspect. The arena is spotted with pink clothes and accessories from fans.
Cedarholm says they always encourage fans to wear pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Night in social media posts leading up to the game. Their Instagram page has one post from this year’s promotion saying it will be Breast Cancer Awareness Night and to wear pink.
Ernst says he’ll share social media posts on his story, even though the team is never instructed to promote events in this way.
“We do wear some jerseys to raise awareness for stuff,” Ernst says. “But I don’t think I’ve worn a breast cancer awareness jersey or anything.”
In addition to their Breast Cancer Awareness Night, this year the Blazers held their first-ever Pride Night, annual Indigenous Night, Military Appreciation Night and Valley First Food bank night, among other benefit nights and fundraising campaigns.
Still, when it comes to breast cancer Ernst says he thinks they could do more to raise awareness, adding some teams do a lot and other teams don’t.
“Most importantly, I think that could be something [the league] could take huge steps for.”