Aug. 2—Doors open at 4:30 p.m., and will feature a Rising Stars ’06 Amateur game at 6 p.m.; and the Shoulder Check Showcase game featuring NHL players at 7:30 p.m.

The HT40 Foundation is named for Hayden Thorsen, using his initials and the No. 40 jersey he wore while playing ice hockey.

Thorsen, an avid hockey player, died by suicide in the spring of 2022, and his parents Rob and Sarah created the foundation to “bring people together through kindness and compassion, just as (Hayden) did throughout his life.”

The Showcase will feature a number of NHL players although the list has not been finalized.

Among those who may play in the event are Darien’s Spencer Knight of the Florida Panthers, and Anaheim’s Trevor Zegras, who played at Avon Old Farms.

Zegras’s father, Gary, is the vice-president of the Mid-Fairfield Youth Hockey Association, where Hayden Thorsen played, and is a founding partner of the HT40 Foundation.

Several New York Rangers including Chris Kreider and Adam Fox are also listed among the NHL players possibly at the event, with Marty St. Louis and Matt Moulson as coaches.

The event will be hosted by Rangers’ broadcaster and Stanley Cup champion Dave Maloney.

According to a press release,, the Shoulder Check Initiative “encourages reaching out, checking in, and making kindness a contact sport in the locker rooms, in the halls, on and off the ice.”

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