Christian battling for more than a championship

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. – If you’ve been a fan of Central Hockey League hockey for any amount of time, I’m sure you know of Jeff Christian. The 39-year-old right wing has played over 19 years of professional hockey in the six different leagues, including the NHL, AHL, IHL, EIHL ( England) and the DEL ( Germany). He is now in his fifth season in the CHL, having played with the Youngstown Steelhounds, Tulsa Oilers and now the Missouri Mavericks.
 

Christian leads the Mavericks in points (69), goals (28), assists (41), power play assists (19) and shots (204) and was the first player signed to the expansion franchise last year. And while the Mavericks are currently battling for a playoff berth, Christian and his family are involved in a struggle of another kind – his eight-year-old daughter Ryan is fighting a rare form of cancer.
 
Diagnosed with Pediatric Adrenal Cortical Carcinoma, a cancer of the adrenal gland that affects literally one or two people in a million, Ryan has recently been moved to St. Jude’s Hospital in Memphis, a facility known world-wide as a premier cancer center for children.
 
Christian, who was already known as an inspirational player, has continued to contribute to the Mavericks’ success on the ice, interspersed with leaves of absence granted by the league. He last played in a three-game home stand, tallying six points (2 G, 4 A) before leaving to join his wife and daughter in Memphis.
 
“We’re going to get through this,” Christian told the ( Independence) Examiner’s Bill Althaus before he left. “We have great doctors and great friends and family members. We know a lot of people are praying for Ryan, and that’s so important right now.”
 
Obviously, there are great costs involved with Ryan’s travel and care and there are numerous plans underway to assist the Christian family with those costs.
 
The Mavericks will wear special jerseys that bear Christian’s No. 72 in pre-game warm-ups prior to the Mavericks’ final home game on Saturday, March 13th. They will be auctioned off following the game along with other items being donated from throughout the hockey world.
 
A fund is also being set up in the Christian family name and all proceeds will go directly to the aid their medical expenses.
 
If you would like to donate an item to the auction or make a monetary donation, you can contact the Mavericks organization at 816-252-PUCK (7825).
 
Contact the author at robert.keith@prohockeynews.com