One name that has been making the rounds in both the Minnesota and national hockey communities this week is Jack Jablonski. The 16 year-old Benilde-St. Margaret's forward's story transcends across all sports after he severely injured his spinal cord from being checked from behind in a game last week. Jablonski has limited mobility and no movement in his lower body after surgery to fuse his vertebrae Wednesday.
It's a truly tragic story and I can't imagine going through something like that. Thankfully support for Jablonski has been widespread, ranging from support by NHL players to teams across the state having "whiteouts" in honor of Jack to donations and to the Twitter hashtag "#jabs" (Jablonski's nickname) continually trending in Minneapolis. The Gophers have decided to help out Jack and raise money for the Jack Jablonski Fund at tonight's game against Notre Dame.
From Gophersports:
The University of Minnesota men's hockey team is helping raise money for the Jack Jablonski Fund in two different ways at tomorrow night's U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game sponsored by Verizon against Notre Dame. A sellout crowd is expected at Mariucci Arena as the No. 3 Gophers face the fifth-ranked Irish.
Gopher student athletes and Minnesota representatives will be at the main entrances to Mariucci Arena collecting cash donations as fans enter the building. In addition, all proceeds from the postgame chuck-a-puck will be donated to the Jack Jablonski Fund.
If you cannot make it to the game and still want to help Jack out, you can donate to the address below, at any Wells Fargo branch or directly online at http://www.jabby13.com/.
Jack Jablonski Fund
Wells Fargo
8200 Golden Valley Road, Golden Valley, MN 55427
UPDATE: The University of Minnesota will also be taking donations at tomorrow's 5 PM men's basketball game versus Purdue at Williams Arena.