Coyotes Players, Alumni Deliver Toys to Phoenix Children's on Monday

The Howlidays of Giving are back, and the smiles and laughter were in person once again.

Arizona Coyotes players and alumni visited Phoenix Children's on Monday, along with the Arizona Coyotes Foundation, and delivered toys from their annual toy drive to the hospital. The players picked out toys and delivered them in person to patients -- along with a plush Howler doll -- marking the return of face-to-face interaction for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Arizona Coyotes Foundation and the Meruelo family also donated $50,000 to the hospital, which was presented by players, alumni, and the Meruelo family on Monday.

"The Howlidays of Giving has become a tradition for the Arizona Coyotes with our partnership with Phoenix Children's, and this year it involved even more things than last year," said Coyotes Chief Impact Officer and Executive Director of Foundation and Community Impact Nadia Rivera. "At this time of year it really becomes important for us to be out there. It becomes about spreading the holiday cheer, but also understanding that there's many people who are not getting to spend the time with their families. They're not getting to spend the time at home around the Christmas tree and doing what we would normally do."

Rivera said the team expanded its Howlidays of Giving promotion this year compared to previous drives, beginning with a tree decorating ceremony from General Manager Bill Armstrong. Patients and families were also hosted at various Coyotes practices and games, and of course there was the toy drive, in which the team collected new toys for the patients from both fans and front office staff.

The toy drive, which Rivera said was even more successful than last year's, culminated on Monday as players delivered the toys before visiting with patients and their families in their rooms.

"We love this relationship, and we love when players can come visit the kids, because oftentimes kids don't get to see these guys, and these are the real-life heroes they get to see in the flesh," said Tim Harrison, Phoenix Children's Vice President of Corporate Partnerships and Special Events. "At this time of year this is so important to me, to the staff, to the team, for all of us, to be able to see people come in and digging deep to find a way to give a gift and make Christmas come alive in the hospital.

"We've decorated the halls and the hospitals, and we have the players come in and visit, and it just brings the magic of Christmas into the hospital."

A multitude of players appeared in person on Monday, which exponentially increased the event's reach among patients and their families. The event is near-and-dear to forward Jason Zucker's heart, as he is not only highly visible within the community, but has maintained ties with M Health Fairview Masonic Children's Hospital in Minneapolis, Minn. from his time with the Wild.

The 31-year-old was so moved by an interaction he had in 2016 with a young patient, Tucker Helstrom, that it inspired him to take action. Though Helstrom tragically passed away from osteosarcoma in 2017, the friendship had such a big impact on Zucker that he established the Zucker Family Suite and Broadcast Studio at the hospital, which opened in 2019. The space allows patients and their families to watch Wild games in a theater, and is also leveraged to produce audio and video recordings.

Fast-forward four years, and Zucker is again putting smiles to a whole new set of fans in The Valley, over 1,600 miles southwest of Minneapolis.

"I believe that when you are given what we have in our lives as professional athletes, when you're given that platform, you should use that to better the lives of others, and that's something I've always pushed to do in every aspect of my life," Zucker said. "It's just always been something that's very close to home for me."

That presence and responsibility is something that Lawson Crouse also embraces with open arms. He echoed that sentiment, and Monday's event was even more meaningful for the eighth-year forward, who has not been able to conduct hospital visits in person since before the pandemic in 2020.

"Over the past couple years we've just been able to do it through robots and zoom, to to physically be out here and be with the kids, it's a much better feeling for them and for everyone involved," Crouse said. "The holidays are a special time with families, and with them being here, and being away from home, the ultimate goal is to put a smile on their face."

Monday's event was yet another way that Phoenix Children's and the Arizona Coyotes have aligned their values. Harrison said both the team and the Arizona Coyotes Foundation frequently provide donations, provide tickets for patients to attend games, host patients and families at practices, and effectively serve a role in helping the community rally around the hospital -- especially around the holidays.

"This Howlidays event we've been doing with the Coyotes helps the communtiy understand that the Coyotes are a big part of Phoenix Children's," Harrison said. "t this time of year this is so important to me, to the staff, to the team, for all of us, to be able to see people come in and digging deep to find a way to give a gift and make Christmas come alive in the hospital. We've decorated the halls and the hospitals, and we have the players come in and visit, and it just brings the magic of Christmas into the hospital."

In the end, the Coyotes and the Arizona Coyotes Foundation simply aimed to spread holiday cheer to those who needed a lift.

The laughter, smiles, and high-fives said it all.

"When you get to see the families and feel that emotion of what the families are going through, that adds another level of understanding of the needs in our community, and that connection with people in our community just takes it to another level," Rivera said. "I think at this time of year, especially, it's more important for us to reach out to members of our community and show them that even though they're going through hard times that we're still there."