Vegreville Resident Raising Funds for Cancer Research

Vegreville Resident Raising Funds for Cancer Research

Michelle Pinon - News Advertiser

Former NHL player and Vegreville resident Zenith Komarniski will be lacing up his skates in this year’s World’s Longest Game.

Hundreds of volunteers and 40 players with the singleminded goal of creating a future free of cancer will participate in the annual fundraiser that will be held between Feb.

4-15 at Saikers Acres in Strathcona County. This will be the seventh year the World’s Longest Game has been held. The goal is to break another Guiness World Record and play 251 hours of continuous hockey.

According to Zenith, “The opportunity to play in this game is dedicated to my dad, Lawrence, who lost a battle with cancer six years ago.

I’m scared even though I’ve played hockey my whole life…nothing I can imagine what my dad went through, as well all the others that have been affected by cancer. These 12 days of hockey would make my dad smile and I know he’ll be watching as we grind this out. My goal is to raise $10,000.”

Vegreville resident and former NHL player Zenith Komarniski will be participating in the World’s Longest Game

(Zenith Komarniski/Submitted Photo)

The overall goal is to raise $1.5 million in support of the Cure Cancer Foundation. “All funds raised through the 2021 World’s Longest Hockey Game will go entirely towards supporting a clinical study in lymphoma and solid tumor patients who are enrolled in Edmonton.

In particular, donations will be used to cover the cost for the PCLX-001 drug, examinations, patient care, and ongoing analysis of how well the drug is working. This is crucial in revealing the future this therapy will have in fighting cancer, saving lives, right here in Edmonton and around the world.”

Brent Saik began the outdoor hockey tournament six years ago. As posted on the World’s Longest Game website, “Brent’s relationship with the Cross Cancer Institute began in 1994 when he lost his father, Terry Saik, to cancer. One of Terry’s wishes was that Brent would carry on the Saik legacy of community support and continue raising funds for the Cross Cancer Institute. Brent made good on his promise and, in 1996, he began the annual Terry Saik Memorial Golf Tournament which raised nearly $35,000. But he didn’t stop there. He wanted to do something more, something bigger.

So, in 2003, Brent held the inaugural World’s Longest Hockey Game, which included 40 players playing 80 consecutive hours. This event raised $150,000 in support of a gene-analyzer which is now used in pediatric cancer research at the Cross Cancer Institute. But that still wasn’t enough for Brent. He wanted to do more. And, after losing his wife Susan to cancer shortly after the first World’s Longest Hockey Game, he knew what he had to.

With help from countless volunteers, donors, players, and committee members, Brent has now organized six World’s Longest Hockey Games and two World’s Longest Baseball Game, which have raised over $5.47 million for the Cross Cancer Institute in support of leading-edge equipment and life-saving research.”