Local News
April 25, 2008
Hockey Against Cancer
How an 11-year-old boy will use his bar mitzvah to fight cancer while having fun
Stacy Karten
Contributing Editor
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The concept of tikkun olam (repairing the world) will be more than evident at an upcoming area fund-raising event that’s the first of its kind here. Hockey Fights Cancer Maryland will be held Sunday, May 4, at the Ice World skating rink in Abingdon.
The event is celebrating its 10th anniversary nationally, but this will be the Free State debut. The festivities for the day, the brainchild of several local Jewish families, start at noon.
It started as an idea for a simple skate-a-thon to raise money in the battle against cancer and has evolved into a mega-project expected to draw up to 5,000 people.
It began when 11-year-old Josh Cohen of Owings Mills, in preparation for his June 2009 bar mitzvah, decided he would embark on a fund-raiser and saw ice hockey as a different and fun venue.
“I have played since I was little,” said Josh, who competes in a local league.
He started planning the skate-a-thon, which seemed to take on a life of its own. Josh contacted one of his favorite celebrities, Duff “Ace of Cakes” Goldman of Charm City Cakes, himself a hockey aficionado. Mr. Goldman agreed to star in a TV public service announcement for the event in which the term “icing” is used to perfect comic effect. The TV spot was produced pro bono by Adam Drescher of New York’s Suite Spot.
“I never thought it would get this big. It’s like a dream,” Josh remarked. He has not, he said, thought about how much money will be raised, but he does know he is performing a mitzvah.
Once Josh contacted Mr. Goldman and the idea of obtaining other sponsors surfaced, parental involvement was required. Josh’s mother, Lisa Cohen, and her good friend, Nadine Seidel, started working behind the scenes, volunteering countless hours.
“The enormity of this is unbelievable. It’s more than we expected. Josh made connections to Duff and the National Hockey League,” said Mrs. Cohen. “I made a full-time job out of this project. I started contacting Southwest Airlines [which contributed flights for celebrity appearances] and hockey companies. No one said no.”
Numerous sponsors have come on board, too, including the Washington Capitals, ESPN Zone, Comcast Sportsnet and Fury Hockey.
Hockey Fights Cancer Maryland’s myriad activities will include a two-hour skate-a-thon, hockey, sled hockey, speed skating, carnival games, food, celebrities and an auction, Mrs. Seidel said.
One of the highly desirable items up for bid, she added, is an NHL All-Star Game jersey signed by players from both teams. Special appearances will be made by the Hanson Brothers from the movie “Slap Shot,” the hockey band the Zambonis and skating champion Kimmie Meissner.
“Capping” off the day is a 5:30 p.m. Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers alumni game. Tickets are $25.
Tobias Kaye, president and general manager of Ice World, jumped at the chance to host the fund-raiser.
“We’re very excited about it,” he said. “We get a lot of requests for charities and events. In that vein I agreed to permit our rink to be used. We have helped do a mitzvah in our own way.”
He added: “It’s a little scary. This will be the biggest event we have ever held.”
Reflecting on the expected 5,000 attendees, Mrs. Seidel said, “This is great. Fantastic.
Hockey Fights Cancer Maryland
• Online: http://www.hockeyfightscancermaryland.com
• E-mail:
• When: Sunday, May 4, starting at noon
• Where: Ice World 1300 Governor Court, Abingdon, Md. 21009, 410-612-1000
Red Team Wins Hoops
Jake Shapiro’s 31 points paced the red team to a 43-34 victory over the gold team in the championship game of the JCC Middle School Basketball League. The game took place on April 13 at the Owings Mills JCC and gave the red squad an unblemished 10-0 record.
Coached by David Cavalier, the championship team included Blake Askenas, Askay Kumar, Tysin Lin, Robert Chervin, Yoni Finkelstein, Menachem Feld and Jesse Nigrin.
The gold team, coached by Zach Rowland, finished with a 6-4 record and had a four-game winning streak entering the finals. Sam Friedman led the club with 12 points and was ably supported by Max Berner, Noah Lipman, Ryan Joffe, Matthew Schwartz, Mitchell Traub and David Trinkoff.
Forty players, divided into five teams, competed in the league, which also benefited from the volunteer services of Greg Reamer, Larry Proper, Josh Hurewitz and William Moss.
At The Races
The opening day at Pimlico Race Course on Thursday, April 17, saw the eighth race won by Sheeler, owned by H. Neil Glasser. The 3-year-old thoroughbred went off at 16.5-to-1 odds and bested six other horses to win the $30,000 first prize.