An annual hockey event that raises money for local cancer research is back for a fifth year.
'Play for a Cure' kicks off Thursday afternoon with a cancer symposium and draft party at Caesars Windsor.
The event continues on Friday and Saturday with hockey action at the Vollmer Centre in LaSalle.
Speaking on AM800's Mornings with Mike and Meg, event director Jeff Casey says the pro-am event features two women's teams and eight men's teams.
He says local companies have sponsored the teams.
"They loaded their teams with players and they get to play in a hockey event with NHL and pro alumni and they have to raise a minimum of $750 each to participate," he says. "We make them custom jerseys, we treat them like pros. We do up the change rooms like pros."
Casey says he got involved with the event and wanted to raise money for cancer research after being diagnosed with cancer 16-years ago.
"We started Play for a Cure to really help find more cures and what I've come to learn and what's going on in the country and in our region for that matter to be quite frank is incredible," says Casey. "There are leaps and bounds being made on a regular basis and that's just something I really wanted to get behind."
This year's event will feature about a dozen NHL and pro alumni including Adam Graves, Tim Taylor, Andre Roy, Chris Thorburn, Al Iafrate, Matt Barnaby, Meghan Agosta, and Angela James.
Last year's event raised $424,000.
To date, Play For a Cure has raised nearly $2-million for cancer research.