Huberdeau will have parents in mind as Flames host Hockey Fights Cancer Night
Seated in his stall in the Flames dressing room Friday, Jonathan Huberdeau took a quiet moment.
But then, with black marker in hand, he wrote ‘My Mom + My Dad’ on his ‘I Fight For’ card, ahead of Saturday’s Hockey Fights Cancer Night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Both of Huberdeau’s parents have fought – and bested – the disease. Huberdeau’s mother, Josée, battled breast cancer on two separate occasions (once when the Calgary left-winger was only 10 years old), and his father, Alain, recently got through a bout with prostate cancer.
“I think Movember was a way to show the support as well,” Huberdeau said of his Dad. “But, you know, they’re all good. They have been through some tougher times, but, you know, they’re strong people and they’ve been fighting hard.
“My Dad, I think he’s going to be able to come on the Dad’s trip (in mid-December) as well. So it’s going to be good for him.”
Huberdeau’s Mom was in town last week, cheering him on along the glass during pre-game warmups, while also getting to spend some time with the newest addition to the family, her new grandson Jacob.
“Yeah, it was nice, obviously, to have her come in here, she kind of came and helped with the little guy,” Huberdeau smiled. “So it was fun to have her.
“Always fun to have her in town and spend some time with her, and obviously she had time to spend with Jacob, so that was cool, too.”
But as he reflected Friday on some of the more difficult moments in his family history, Huberdeau pointed to his mother as a source of strength; of inspiration to help make a difference.
See, during Josée’s second battle with cancer, Huberdeau – then a member of the Florida Panthers – realized he had the wherewithal to impact positive change.
And so was born the Jonathan Huberdeau Golf Tournament, which over the past four years has raised over $1 million for the Fondation Cité de la Santé (City Health Foundation), benefitting his local hospital in Laval, Quebec.
It was there that Huberdeau and his siblings were born, but also where Josée received treatment, and this past summer, it’s where Jacob entered the world, too.
“it’s a special hospital for me. It’s not in my hometown, but still, that’s where I was born. And, you know, I think, like I said, my Mom got treated there. I think my Dad was seen there first, but then they moved them to Montreal.
“It’s a great hospital, they help a lot of people.”
This past July, the tournament raised close to $400,000 for men’s health initiatives and for Huberdeau, as a professional athlete, it’s one small way to give back.
“I think we’re on a stage that we can do that. We have the chance to kind of be the faces of some stuff, support the Foundation and then be there for other people that are struggling or do need help,” he said. “So I think for me, it was kind of the second breast cancer my Mom had kind of gave me that push that, you know, I’ve got to (make) a little difference out there.
“I think it’s not much, but a lot of people that do that, I think it helps. It helps a lot.”
Which brings us to tonight’s contest against the Stars. Since 1998, the NHL and NHLPA have come together to raise more than $44 million League-wide, and across each market have been at the forefront of raising awareness and supporting those affected by cancer.
And you can be sure that when Huberdeau hits the ice amid a glow of purple Saturday night, he’ll be thinking about those closest to him, and their strength.
“It’s cool to see the League involved in that, and kind of the program they put on to support that. Cancer sucks at the end of the day, and a lot of people are (affected), it’s just a way to show that we’re there to support,” he said. “My family, a lot of people have had cancer, so I think for me, it’s just to be there and kind of support the fight.
“People are really strong, they fight every day. I think it’s just a way to show that we’re there for them, and to stay strong.”
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