Hockey Gives Blood
Hockey Gives Blood has partnered nationally with Canadian Blood Services to raise awareness for the importance of blood, plasma, stem cell, organ and tissue and financial donations, amongst the hockey community.
Hockey Gives Blood is a non-profit organization founded by a group of former hockey players. The team is dedicated to encouraging members of the hockey community to help save lives and ensuring that patients in Canada have access to the blood products they need, when and where they need them. Their passion for hockey is as distinct as their passion for saving lives.
At Canadian Blood Services, saving lives takes teamwork.
Join the Hockey Gives Blood team of blood and plasma donors!
How to join the Hockey Gives Blood Partners for Life team:
- Set up an account on blood.ca/pfl or on the GiveBlood app for Apple or Android
- Select “partners” from the menu
- Select “join a team” and type Hockey Gives Blood in the search bar
- You can join the national team as well as your local hockey team.
Book your next appointment either through your team bookings (visible under your team when a Champion has worked with Canadian Blood Services and reserved a block of appointments) or as an individual.
Hockey Gives Blood Player Ambassador Program
The Hockey Gives Blood Player Ambassador program engages young developing hockey players from across Canada who have been recognized by their peers as influential champions. These ambassadors diligently promote the ongoing need for blood, stem cells, organ and tissue and financial donations to help save lives.
Many dedicated player ambassadors are donors themselves with personal connections to the cause that motivate them to make a meaningful difference for patients in their communities. The shared goal of all ambassadors is to help inspire the next generation of donors to join Canada’s Lifeline.
Be heroes on and off the ice to patients this season
Canadian Blood Services is looking for hockey playing heroes across Canada to support patients by booking appointments to donate blood, platelets and plasma this season.
Find out how your team can save lives together by organizing a group donation or how your league can adopt a day or week at a nearby donation centre. To learn more, contact pfl@blood.ca.
Player Ambassador Spotlight: Anna MacCara
Anna MacCara (pictured right) is a Hockey Gives Blood player ambassador and a forward on the St. FX women’s hockey team in Nova Scotia. As a blood donor, someone who has joined the stem cell registry, and a financial supporter, Anna offers a great example of how athletes can support patients — both individually and as a community.
When Anna organized Hockey Gives Blood fundraisers while at university, she knew it would make a difference for people like Gail and countless others. Gail, pictured next to Anna, is connected to the St. FX hockey community — and is also the recipient of a stem cell transplant. Money raised through Hockey Gives Blood fundraisers like Anna’s help recruit more blood, plasma and potential stem cell donors who help save and transform lives like Gail’s.
Anna’s relentless passion and commitment to help others was the reason she was chosen as the first recipient of the Cameron Bulger Memorial Award. The award has been created to recognize a USPORTS player ambassador who has made a significant impact supporting Canada’s Lifeline.
Player Ambassador Spotlight: Logan Stankoven
The best game you can name lived up to its reputation in March 2023 thanks to the community of Kamloops, B.C. and then-captain of the Kamloops Blazers hockey team, Logan Stankoven. Together they raised more than $41,000 for Canadian Blood Services —a record-breaking amount raised by a Hockey Gives Blood player ambassador in support of patients who rely on Canada’s Lifeline. This builds on Logan’s personal support for patients as a blood donor and organizing team blood drives, as well as registering to be a potential stem cell donor.
Throughout the game last March, fans had the chance to bid on autographed Stankoven jerseys through an online auction or make cash and tap-to-give donations. When communities support young leaders who want to make a difference by fundraising, they help fuel recruitment of more blood and plasma donors, world-class research, training of future medical leaders and so much more.
Player Ambassador Spotlight: Alicia Souveny
From blood donor, to recipient, to team Canada
Four years after a terrifying freeway crash left Alicia Souveny with life-altering injuries, she’s excelling in sport with a national team — and so grateful to the blood donors who helped make it possible. Alicia is now also a player ambassador for Hockey Gives Blood — the first such ambassador from the para-hockey community. In a way she has come full circle. Edmonton’s hockey community supported her through fundraising from her earliest days in hospital and organized blood donation events in her honour. Now, as a player ambassador, she inspires blood donors to help others.
Be A Hero
Every year, hundreds of patients in Canada with cancers and blood diseases need a stem cell transplant from an unrelated matching donor to save their life. Many of these patients are facing challenges finding a matching donor.
We are asking the hockey community for help. We need more people ages 17 to 35, to join Canada Blood Services Stem Cell Registry to help find more matches, more heroes, for patients.