Family prepares for Nathan O’Brien hockey fundraiser at the Saddledome
Posted Feb 3, 2015 6:18 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Saddledome will be rocking Thursday night, but it won’t be for the Flames, the Hitmen or a concert.
It’ll be for the children’s charity fundraiser in honour of Nathan O’Brien, featuring Flames alumni against ‘Nathan’s Superheroes’ made up of sponsors, politicians and police officers assigned to the high-profile case.
Tickets are $5 and funds will go towards the Children’s Cottage Society, Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids and the Flames Even Strength Program through the Nathan O’Brien Children’s Foundation.
They can be purchased at ticketmaster.ca.
Nathan’s father Rod O’Brien said the support has been overwhelming.
“We’re just very thankful that Calgary has such a great volunteer spirit and we are tremendously thankful for all the support and extra effort that everyone has put in to getting this event going,” he said.
Jennifer O’Brien added hockey is the perfect way to commemorate her son.
“It was something that Nathan absolutely loved to do. He loved to play hockey and have fun and it just is perfectly fitting to have everybody come out and play a game in honour of him,” she said.
This is the second tournament for little Nathan, following one in Springbank back in January and Rod says he’s looking forward to the next edition.
“Each and every week when we meet with them to set up this game, we always come away from these meetings just shaking our heads and overcome with warmth and seeing the Calgary can do volunteer spirit,” he said.
Puck drop is 6:30 p.m.
O’Brien and his grandparents, Alvin and Kathy Liknes, went missing last summer and police later determined they were murdered.
54-year-old Douglas Garland faces two counts of first-degree murder and one count of second-degree murder in the case.
