By Ashley Scharge
STAMFORD, CT — Over 25 players turned out for the Third Annual Shoulder Check Showcase for Mental Health Awareness, at The Terry Conners Ice Rink in Stamford, CT, earlier this week.
Some players in attendance were Chris Kreider, now of the Anaheim Ducks, Trevor Zegras of the Philadelphia Flyers, Adam Fox, Matt Rempe, Brett Berard, and Drew Fortescue of the New York Rangers, along with Frank Vatrano, Cutter Gauthier, Sam Colangelo, and Mason McTavish with Kreider for the Ducks. In addition, Will Smith of the San Jose Sharks, Kevin Hayes of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Shane Pinto of the Ottawa Senators, Shayne Gostisbehere of the Carolina Hurricanes, Ryan Leonard of the Washington Capitals, Matty Beniers, and John Hayden of Seattle Kraken, as well as Pavel Dorofeyev of the Vegas Golden Knights.
Brett Pesce of the New Jersey Devils recently retired Kevin Shattenkirk joined in on the fun while the goaltenders were Spencer Knight of the Chicago Blackhawks and Jake Oettinger of the Dallas Stars. The coaches were Martin St. Louis of the Montreal Canadiens, Jonathan Quick of the New York Rangers and Ben Prentiss of Prentiss Hockey Performance.
The Third Annual Shoulder Check Showcase was an overwhelming success for all participants and attendees – Image Credit: Ashley Scharge/Latino Sports
The teams played two twenty-five minute running time with Madison Square Garden TV broadcaster and former Ranger Captain, Dave Maloney starting the festivities, by saying “Stand in unison. Don’t be shy, place your left hand on the right shoulder of the person to your left.”
Maloney went on to shout, “Reach out, Check In, Make Contact.”
Jake Oettinger said, “When I heard the story, I think it just hit, and you want to try and make an impact and try to help out.” He continued, “Mental health affects everyone in some way, whether it’s you personally or a family member or people you are close with.”
John Brancy, who sings the National Anthem frequently at Madison Square Garden before New York Ranger games, led the sold-out crowd with “Lean on Me.” The lights dimmed and cell phones flashed all over the arena.
Shoulder Check was in honor of Hayden Thorsen, a talented ice hockey player from Dairen, Connecticut, who took his own life on May 21st, 2022. His father Rob, said, “it took an army to put this thing together.”
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William C.
July 26, 2025 at 1:10 am
Outstanding coverage of this event for Mental Health Awareness. Great images and player info. And thank you Latino Sports for bringing this story to the West Coast.