David Backes is an extremely fun hockey player to root for. He gives his all out on the ice and is the model captain for the St. Louis organization. He's a pretty admirable guy away from the rink too, often donating his time and resources to help animals in need.
As if you needed another reason to like Backes, the captain donated $24,000 worth of new hockey equipment to the Mankato Area Youth Hockey Association in Minnesota for their Try Hockey Free event.
From the Mankato Area Hockey Association's site:
MAHA would like to thank former MSU Maverick David Backes for his generous donation of $24,000 worth of equipment. This included some 150 sticks, 70 sets of skates, 60 helmets, 60 sets of gloves, 6 full sets of goalie gear, 1000 pucks and more! This equipment was provided to skaters this past weekend during our annual Try Hockey for Free event. Kids that choose to skate the season with MAHA get free use of equipment for the year.
This is awesome. The price of hockey equipment is often an insurmountable barrier for children who want to play the sport. Backes' donation, which resulted in a ton of equipment for the league, gave children a chance to play who otherwise might have never had the opportunity.
It'd be great to see other players follow Backes' lead. In honor of the Try Hockey Free event, wouldn't it be great to see dozens of NHL skaters donating so children can see what hockey is all about?
(H/T Reddit Hockey)
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