Thirty-one members of the Pats organization, including all the WHL team's players along with management personnel, helped out 10 members of the Habitat for Humanity Regina crew Tuesday afternoon on Garnet Street. The event was labelled "Hockey and Hammers.''
"We can go on the ice and teach teamwork, but there's nothing greater right now than building that house,'' Pats general manager Chad Lang said. "We preach about working together day in and day out, but I don't think you can structure an event that is more about teamwork than doing something like this.
"This is a true life lesson.''
The team's involvement in the project was spearheaded by Habitat for Humanity Regina and the Pats' vice-president of operations/corporate development, Cliff Mapes. He received an enthusiastic response after suggesting the idea to Lang.
"It's a unique situation,'' Lang said while his players worked on what will be a 976-square-foot, fourbedroom residence in the North Central area. "It speaks volumes about the partnerships we're seeking.
"As an organization, we're fortunate to get community support. People spend their hard-earned money to come to watch us play during the season. This is an opportunity for us to give back.''
For three hours, the Pats' representatives worked toward raising the walls and getting the home to the lock-up stage, meaning that it will be secured from the elements as winter approaches. Four such Habitat for Humanity (HFH) homes are at that stage of construction in Regina.
"It's not very often that we use an entire team for a project like this, but the Pats were super-excited,'' Trish Bezborotko, Habitat for Humanity Regina's director of fund development, said Tuesday.
HFH is designed to provide accessible housing to low-income families, which purchase the homes with the aid of an interest-free mortgage.
Since the organization was founded in 1976, HFH has built more than 400,000 homes internationally. The first HFH home in Regina was erected in 1993, and the total in the Queen City now approaches 50.
"It's a great partnership with the Pats,'' said Dennis Coutts, the CEO of Habitat for Humanity Regina. "We're delighted to have them out.
"It's almost like when they have a barn-raising in a small town. It's pretty much a tradition for Prairie people.''
The Pats observed their own tradition by helping out in the community. Their efforts to assist HFH will continue Sept. 23, when Regina plays its regularseason opener against the Swift Current Broncos (7 p.m., Brandt Centre). The contest, a fund-raiser for HFH, has been dubbed the "Habitat for Humanity Regina Home Opener.''
By then, the home on Garnet Street should be at the lock-up stage. Work can then begin indoors, with the objective of having the residence available for a family in the spring. Roughly 3,000 hours of volunteer time are required to construct one home. The Pats, as a collective, donated about 100 of those hours on Tuesday. The team did not practise in order to dedicate the afternoon to helping out HFH.
"This is a good opportunity for us and it's a lot of fun,'' said Regina-born Garrett Mitchell, who was the Pats' captain last season.
"As hockey players, we've been pretty fortunate with our own upbringings. To be able to play hockey and then go home to a nice house is something we probably take for granted. It's nice to be able to help out with something like this.''
rvanstone@leaderpost.com
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