A junior hockey team wants to welcome Syrian refugee families to Canada by offering them their first live hockey experience.
The Mississauga Steelheads have invited over 500 newly-immigrated Syrian families and the volunteers that have helped them transition to the Hershey Centre on Friday night for their game against the Peterborough Petes.
The event is organized in conjunction with Lifeline Syria, a Toronto-based initiative that engages the community with refugees restarting in Canada.
Damien Haveliwalla, an intern for the sales and sponsorship department with the Mississauga Steelheads Hockey Club, initiated the idea for the collaborative event.
“I reached out to Lifeline Syria and asked if we could do something with them so we could be a part of welcoming refugees to Canada,” he said. “We thought hockey would be a great way to do it.”
Haveliwalla said that 520 tickets have been handed out by Lifeline Syria and they expect the same number to turn out for the game tonight.
Families and volunteers will be welcomed over the PA system before the game begins and refugee children will have a chance to meet the Steelheads’ mascot, Sauga.
“Hockey in Canada is huge. It’s a great way to introduce new Canadians to Canadian culture and a great way to welcome them to the community,” said Haveliwalla.
The Mississauga Steelhead players are aware of the special attendees for tonight’s game but Haveliwalla said they won’t know the volume of refugee families coming out to see them until they hit the ice.
Mississauga and Brampton have seen thousands of Syrian refugees land in the area since December.
