The mission of Shoulder Check — to increase focus on youth mental health — could not be more solemn. But at this moment it requires spitballing ideas for routines for a 7-foot, googly eyed shaggy tangerine hockey mascot whose name is commonly preceded by the adjective “unhinged.”
“We need to brainstorm some comedy sketches for Gritty,” Rob Thorsen informs his Shoulder Check planning team, while confessing that “this is the most bizarre request I’ve had.”
Planning for Gritty is just one of countless details that were addressed during a recent Shoulder Check video conference planning session. Thorsen is clearly the team captain, accompanied by his wife, Sarah Thompson, and eight other volunteers. They each have secret identities. Eric Hidy, for example, is an investment advisor/who wrangles talent and influencers for Shoulder Check. His wife, Deb, is a real estate executive/who juggles logistics such as tickets and jerseys.
Because I’m observing the meeting, Thorsen says what doesn’t really need to be said. That doesn’t change the poignancy when he shares that “(Hayden) is the through line for all of us here.”
Rob and Sarah are Hayden’s parents. A Darien High School hockey player, Hayden was known for his empathy, often expressed by putting his hand on the shoulder of friends and family members. Some of those peers were the sons of parents on this ad hoc planning committee. Thus, the parents are now the teammates.
During the showcase (to be aired live on the NHL Network), players will gather on center ice before the puck drops and take the Shoulder Check pledge with audience members by placing a hand on a neighboring shoulder and repeating, “I promise to Reach Out, Check In, Make Contact.”
About 75% of the tickets are already sold for this year’s event. As of Saturday, the ever-expanding roster consisted of the following NHL players: Trevor Zegras and Pavel Dorofeyev (Philadelphia Flyers), Chris Kreider, Mason McTavish, Cutter Gauthier, Frank Vatrano, Nikita Nesterenko and Sam Colangelo (Anaheim Ducks), Adam Fox, Matt Rempe, J.T. Miller, Pavel Dorofeyev, Gabe Perreault and Drew Fortescue (New York Rangers), Brett Pesce (New Jersey Devils), Spencer Knight (Chicago Blackhawks), Shayne Gostisbehere (Carolina Hurricanes), Shane Pinto (Ottawa Senators), Will Smith (San Jose Sharks), Ryan Leonard (Washington Capitals), Matty Beniers, John Hayden (Seattle Kraken), Alex Lyon (Buffalo Sabres), Domenick Fensore (Colorado Avalanche), Matt Coronato (Calgary Flames) and Danila Yurov (Minnesota Wild).
The evolving roster is one of the countless challenges for the planning team. Kristal Shaffer has earned an MVP award with her sewing skills. All of the players wear Hayden’s No. 40 on the back of their jerseys, but Shaffer sews each player’s NHL patch on one arm and name on the other (so, of course, you can identify them by checking shoulders). Just in case there’s a wardrobe malfunction, she’ll bring her sewing machine to the arena.
I resist pitching a bit for Gritty that would involve the other 30 NHL mascots (the Rangers — and I do love this about them — don’t have one). It just seems too cruel to Shaffer and her sewing machine.
The devils (not the New Jersey ones) are in the details, and the Shoulder Check planners have learned in Year Four not to take anything for granted. Debi McGahren’s son volunteered her in Year One because she’s a professional event planner. Rob confesses that “without her, we would have run out of water.”
There are always new tasks. Someone has to collect those moist game jerseys and deliver them to the auction winners. Here are a few items from this year’s to-do checklist:
As the session wraps up, I insist on asking a “dumb question” about the vinyl records behind Thorsen in his Darien home (dominated by the Grateful Dead). But even that leads to chatter about future growth, like visions of a “Sound Check” concert. Maybe even a Shoulder Check Festival.
“It might be a pipe dream,” Thorsen says, “but we’ve got a lot of it already, and we’re doing pretty good. So who knows?”
Time and again I’ve seen Thorsen respond to outside queries posing the same question: What is important to the Shoulder Check mission?
“And of course, that’s just delivering the message,” he responds.
The message remains the same. It’s Hayden’s message: Kindness is a contact sport.
John Breunig is editorial page editor. jbreunig@hearstmediact.com; twitter.com/johnbreunig. For information on Shoulder Check tickets, go to www.shouldercheck.org
