Spring Events Bring Together Snider Community While Raising Funds for After School Excellence Program
The hockey season may have come to an end, but Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education has continued to bring together our community to raise money for our After School Excellence Program. Three events this spring, the Ed Snider Celebrity Hockey Pro-Am, the Ultimate NHL Playoff Fantasy Draft, and the Snider Celebrity Bartending Event combined to raise over $372,600 for Snider programming.
Ed Snider Celebrity Hockey Pro-Am
Flyers legends and Snider donors came together on April 13 for a thrilling hockey game on the Wells Fargo Center ice!
Former pros, amateurs, and guests spent the afternoon mingling and cheering on a Flyers win against the New Jersey Devils, during which Flyers legend Wayne Simmonds was honored in a retirement ceremony. After the game, players made their way down to the visiting team locker rooms, where they were greeted with custom jerseys for Team Snider and Team CrowdStrike. Pros were split among both teams and included Doug Crossman, Mark Howe, Erik Burgdoerfer, Riley Cote, Stephane Matteau, Sam Morin, Patrick Sharp, Todd Fedoruk, Scott Hartnell, Dominic Moore, and Pierre Turgeon.
Players took to the ice for a quick warm-up, team photos, and a puck drop ceremony. Team Snider was coached by Bernie Parent and Team CrowdStrike was coached by Joe Watson, while Ed Hospodar served as the referee, and Jim Jackson and Lou Nolan provided color commentary. The teams battled to a thrilling 7-7 game through regulation, forcing an impromptu overtime. Despite numerous chances for both teams, neither side was able to score, resulting in a tie. The night ended with a celebration in the Shift4 Club.
The second annual event raised over $310,000 for Snider. With the 2:1 match from the Supporting Organization, this results in $930,000 for our youth programs! Thank you to event organizers Ryan Limaye and Burt Podbere for making an incredible impact in the lives of Snider students.
2024 Ultimate NHL Playoff Fantasy Draft
The Ultimate NHL Playoff Fantasy Draft returned to the Snider events calendar for the first time since 2019!
On April 22, 19 teams of various members of the Snider community gathered at the Brooklyn Bowl in Fishtown to build their hockey “dream teams” by drafting players in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Flyers legend Steve Coates emceed the evening, guiding the teams through eight rounds of selecting players and asking Flyers trivia for prizes during breaks. Flyers podcast, Snow the Goalie, recorded a live video podcast throughout the draft, taking viewers through the process and interviewing Bernie Parent. After the draft, attendees were welcome to stick around for a round of bowling! The fun with the Fantasy Draft is just getting started, however, as teams will stay tuned to the standings throughout the playoffs to see if their team will take home the Fantasy Cup.
With the 2:1 match, this event raised more than $51,000.
Snider Celebrity Bartending Event
The turn of the calendar to May brought a gorgeous spring day for the Snider Celebrity Bartending Event at Great American Pub in Wayne, PA!
A star-studded list of celebrity bartenders, including Brad Marsh, Lindy Snider, Al Morganti, Ed Hospodar, Ashlyn Sullivan, Kimmo Timonen, Glen Macnow, Brandon Graham, Lou Nolan, and Bob Kelly, volunteered their time to pour drinks for and chat with attendees. All tips went to Snider’s After School Excellence Program. VIPs were not only behind the bar, as Jim Jackson, Joe Watson, Bernie Parent, Todd Fedoruk, Neil Little, and Bill Meltzer celebrated Snider with attendees. Flyers podcast, South Philly Sauce, addressed the crowd with special guests Bernie Parent and Jim Jackson taking the mic.
The third annual event raised $11,600 for Snider’s whole-child development programs.
Thank you to our donors for their continued support throughout our spring events and year-round! For a full list of Snider events, click here: https://sniderhockey.org/upcoming-events/
