As the Vancouver Canucks’ Head Equipment Manager, Brian “Red” Hamilton spends his days making sure players have everything they need for practices and games. Away from the rink, he has taken on another important role, using his own experience with melanoma to help raise awareness about skin cancer and the importance of early detection.
That mission was front and centre Thursday at Tsawwassen Springs, where the fourth annual Melanoma Canada Golf & Grill Vancouver brought together golfers, Canucks alumni, friends, and supporters for a day dedicated to raising funds and awareness.
The tournament is jointly hosted by Melanoma Canada and the Jess and Red Hamilton Fund, with support from the Vancouver Canucks and other partners. For Hamilton, the event has become much more than a day on the golf course. Each year, it serves as a reminder of how a simple message can potentially save a life.
Hamilton’s own melanoma story took social media by storm in October 2021 with the Vancouver Canucks visiting Climate Pledge Arena for a tilt against the Seattle Kraken.
A fan sitting behind the Canucks bench noticed an unusual mole on the back of Hamilton’s neck. She tapped on the glass and showed him a message on her phone encouraging him to get it checked. He obliged, and was diagnosed with melanoma, but because it was caught early, it could be treated.
The moment changed Hamilton’s perspective and turned him into an advocate for skin cancer awareness, sun safety, and early detection. Since then, he has continued to share his story in the hope that it will help save lives.
At the Vancouver Golf & Grill Tournament last September, Hamilton joined Sportsnet 650 for a live radio hit before the tournament, once again sharing his experience and stressing the importance of getting suspicious moles checked. Someone listening decided to make an appointment and later wrote Hamilton a letter thanking him for sharing his story after an early melanoma diagnosis.
"Between Sportsnet radio, my story, and the golf tournament, we have one less cancerous mole in a body,” Hamilton said.
Moments like this reinforce Hamilton on why continuing the conversation matters, and how the generosity of others has helped spread the message.
“This whole thing is crazy because I get reminded every year how many good people are in my life,” Hamilton said.
“I make a speech at the end of the day, and I look around and I have friends, I have family, and I have coworkers, and then a few strangers, and most of the people in the room have been there all four years.”
The continued support has also helped the tournament grow its impact, and this year’s tournament was a record fundraising year, raising $115,000 and hoping to reach $200,000 in the next year to support the Sun Guardians Grant Program.
Launched two years ago through the Jess & Red Hamilton Fund, the Sun Guardians Grant Program provides daycares, camps, recreation programs and sports leagues with free UVP clothing, sunscreen, shade structures and learning resources to provide sun-safe programming and sun-safety education to young people across B.C.
CEO of Melanoma Canada Falyn Katz helped the Hamiltons start the program and it’s meaningful to Hamilton from his own experience working at outdoor summer camps and running daycares for 15 years.
The program gives Hamilton’s advocacy a full-circle element. His own melanoma was caught because someone took a moment to speak up. Now, through the tournament and the fund, he is helping give people the tools and protection they need to enjoy time outdoors safely.
The goal is to keep the conversation going, encourage people to protect their skin, and when something looks unusual, get it checked.
