Melissa George fund scores big with Havoc

HUNTSVILLE, ALA. – A 5-0 victory, a goalie fight and the continued establishment of what might just be the Southern Professional Hockey League’s most bitter rivalry provided more than 4,700 hockey fans with plenty of opportunity to make some noise as the hometown Huntsville Havoc took on the Mississippi Surge at the Von Braun Center on January 8th.
However, it was an auctioneer who made the greatest noise as he exclaimed “sold” again and again during the post-game auction of special pink and blue Havoc jerseys and players’ pink pre-game warm-up sticks.
The auction was the highlight of the fifth annual Melissa George Night benefiting the Melissa George Neonatal Memorial Fund. The fund was named in memory of the daughter of Huntsville hockey hero Chris George and his wife Amy, a former local television news anchor.
In 2005, Amy George gave birth to twins Melissa and Ann Catherine three-and-a-half months early. Unfortunately, Melissa passed away not long after entering the world but after more than two months under the care of the NICU nurses and doctors at Huntsville Hospital for Women and Children, Ann Catherine went home with mom and dad. During the pre-game ceremonies,

the now five year old Ann Catherine dropped the puck. During the auction, she hugged the jerseys before passing them out to the highest bidders.
With his number retired and hanging in the rafters of the Von Braun Center, Chris George looked up at the fans participating in the auction and smiled. He then looked down as his daughter was having her picture taken with the winning bidders.
“By far this is our most favorite night of the year,” Chris George said.
When the Havoc approached the George family five years ago with the idea for an auction to raise money for Melissa’s fund, Chris said he and Amy were taken aback by the kindness of the team and the Tennessee Valley community.
“This is such a giving community and we are just blown away every year by their generosity to donate to Melissa’s fund to help the NICU,” he said.
George said that after five years of working with the Havoc staff to make Melissa George Night an annual success, he believes the Havoc organization is one of the best in minor professional sports.
“The Havoc staff does a first class job in the way this thing is run,” he said. “I challenge any other minor hockey team to come up with something like this because this is absolutely a unique and very special event they put on.”
The generosity of Havoc fans in the five years of the event has been nothing short of phenomenal. Fans like Mike and Lindsey Trepanier of Decatur, Ala., high bidders on Havoc goalie Dan McWhinney’s pink, pre-game warm-up stick, have donated tens of thousands of dollars to the NICU.
McWhinney, who is Lindsey Trepanier’s favorite player,had himself a memorable night in leading the Havoc to victory. He stopped 35 shots on net in recording his third shutout of the season and even fought Mississippi goalie Dan Earles in a grudge match left over from the previous night’s contest in Biloxi.
For the Trepaniers, the on-ice action is only a small part of the Huntsville Havoc experience. The couple said that they attend most home games throughout the season but that they always make sure they attend on nights when the team has special events where the Havoc raise funds for community needs.
“Our donation helps the NICU purchase the equipment they need to help newborns,” Lindsey said.
Mike Trepanier added that because they understand how deeply committed the Havoc are to helping the community, he and his wife feel obligated to participate in the fund raising events the team runs.
“They (the Havoc) have a bunch of games that raise money for different organizations and we appreciate all that they do (for the community),” he said.
The commitment to the community is something that theHavoc players are very conscious about. Forward Ray Ortiz, who scored a pair of goals in the win, said that he knew from his first day in Huntsville that the franchise’s community involvement made it a special organization.
“The first thing they tell us when we get here is that we are going to do a lot of community service and as much as they (the city and fans) give to us, we try to give back even more because these are some of the best fans in pro hockey,” Ortiz said. “Tonight’s game is one of the best causes around and one of our best opportunities to support the community while Huntsville comes out and supports us.”
With the help of the Havoc, the Melissa George Neonatal Memorial Fund has raised more than one million dollars for the NICU in its five years of existence. Monies raised by the fund are used to purchase lifesaving equipment for the NICU and to provide support for the families of premature infants.
For more information on the Melissa George Foundation, please visit WWW.huntsvillehospital.org/foundation/melissageorgefund .
Contact the author at scott.farrow@prohockeynews.com