Jim Richmond drove two and a half hours from Oswego County to volunteer at the 11 Day Power Play.
Rather, he drove that far for the purpose of “picking on people.”
When he noticed Mike Lesakowski, one of the event’s founders, had the number 4 on the back of his jersey – not the 11 that everyone else had – Richmond recalled telling him that someday, he would be good enough to get an 11.
Richmond’s reputation as the event jokester is one of the many facets of camaraderie at the cancer-fighting fundraising event.
Seven months after raising $2.1 million for local cancer research and programs and being recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest hockey game ever played, the annual event is back. Through Sunday, nearly 250 volunteers and 2,000 players will participate in the sixth year of the event, with the players on the ice in three-hour, around-the-clock shifts in LECOM Harborcenter.