Aaron Ekblad, Sam Bennett Among Nhl Stars Skating In Annual Barrie Charity Game

A pair of Florida Panthers players took part in a charity game last week in their native Ontario.

Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad and center Sam Bennett were among the NHL and PWHL players who took part in The Barn Burner, the Boots and Hearts Charity Hockey Game.

It was held on Thursday at Saldon Arena in Barrie, Ontario, home of the Ontario Hockey League’s Barrie Colts, and hosted by Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall.

Ekblad, who captained the Colts during his time in the OHL before being drafted first overall by the Panthers in 2014, spoke about what the event meant to him.

“It’s amazing, it’s nostalgic,” Ekblad said to CTV News. “Skating on this ice and snapping it around in warm-ups was really cool. I see a lot of familiar faces, fans from back in the day, so nostalgic would be the word I use for it.”

Ekblad was the captain of Team Denim while another former Colt legend, John Tavares, was captain of Team Plaid.

Every year, the Barn Burner raises money to support local charities and community programs throughout the Barrie area, including the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre Foundation, the John Tavares Foundation, PIE Education and several others.

“It’s an extremely important cause, I’m really happy to be here,” Ekblad said. “They’re doing great things in the community and I’m just happy to be a part of it.”

Officials said this year the event raised over $700,000.

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Photo caption: Mar 16, 2023; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman AaronEkblad(5) celebrates a goal with center SamBennett(9) in the second period against the Montreal Canadiens at FLA Live Arena. (Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports)