Patriot Challenge Tournament Remembers September 11th in a Special Way
09/14/11

The tournament organizing committee, consisting of representatives from each of the three teams, sought from the outset to make the experience memorable for the players, coaches and parents. Each team committed to a community service project in advance of the weekend to help the players better understand the impact September 11th had on their lives and the country. The Hornets and Rockets each prepared care packages for members of the United States Armed Forces, while Team Maryland’s project supported the Fisher House organization, whose purpose is to help military families in need of aid. 

Many parents said the tournament gave them a unique context to stimulate discussions about September 11th and answer questions about that terrible day. The Rocket families shipped more than 150 pounds of supplies to soldiers in Afghanistan, and during the preparation of these care packages parents and players had the opportunity to discuss why our soldiers had picked up this battle, and what true heroism and sacrifice really means.  The tournament also connected people from the three impacted cities in a way that has not been done before – strengthening a bond among those who saw their communities forever changed in a matter of hours.

The teams competed for the Patriots Challenge Cup, donated by the Mascali family of the New Jersey Rockets in honor of all the heroes and victims of September 11th.  The Rockets Jack Mascali, Uncle Joe Mascali, was a New York City fireman, Rescue 5 Staten Island, N.Y., that was killed that day while saving people at the World Trade Center. The round-robin portion of the weekend ended with each team having one win & one loss.  The New Jersey Rockets defeated Team Maryland in a thrilling 1-0 semifinal game to advance to the championship against Pittsburgh. The Hornets defeated the Rockets in the final game to capture the Patriots Challenge Cup, avenging an earlier loss to New Jersey in the first game of the weekend. 

While the original goal of the tournament was to educate the players about September 11th and play a competitive slate of AAA games, news spread quickly about the event – WFAN radio, NJ12 TV, Pittsburgh CBS television and online media sources covered the event - and generous donations flowed in from so many sources. The National Hockey League along with its member clubs New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals enthusiastically donated great hockey memorabilia items, including autographed Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Zac Parise jerseys, signed pucks and sticks. The highlighted items were the use of a Luxury Suite for a New Jersey Devils game during the upcoming season and an American flag that flew over the Capitol building.  The silent auction raised more than $12,000 for the benefit of the Wounded Warrior Project.  The WWP exists to honor and empower wounded warriors who incurred service-connected injuries on or after September 11, 2001.   In addition, online donations have already exceeded the teams’ goals. To donate to the Wounded Warrior Project visit the Patriots Challenge WWP Page by clicking on the following link:   http://bit.ly/qmHoF0

The weekend was a complete success. Senators Joe Lieberman and Harry Reid, and New Jersey governor Chris Chistie applauded the teams’ efforts in stirring letters to the participants, each acknowledging the wonderful place youth sports has in the education of our children. Plans are already underway to expand next year’s Patriots Challenge, which will be held in New Jersey at the Prudential Center, home of the New Jersey Devils.

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