NHL Foundation sets own single-night fundraising record at Go Forward!

NEW YORK -- The NHL Foundation set its own record for fundraising in a single night by raising about $600,000 at its second annual Go Forward! event at Tribeca Rooftop + 360° in lower Manhattan on Tuesday.

The money raised goes directly to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation dedicated to curing spinal cord injury, the Michael J. Fox Foundation committed to finding a cure for Parkinson's disease and SCIboston's Travis Roy Legacy Grant that assists individuals with paraplegia or quad/tetraplegia caused by spinal cord injury or disorder.

In addition, Tampa-based charitable organizations pdLIFE, which helps patients with Parkinson's disease, and Stay In Step Brain & Spinal Cord Injury Recovery Center will receive funding from the Go Forward! event.

"This is our biggest night," NHL Foundation U.S. executive director Rob Wooley said. "The NHL Foundation has never raised a half a million dollars ever at one time."

The NHL Foundation will also host the Travis Roy Hockey Classic at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa on Feb. 1, hours before the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins at Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS).

Players each had to raise at least $5,000 to play in the event, which is expected to raise about $150,000.

"Our work is rooted in a simple belief that hockey has the power to change lives," Wooley said. "Go Forward! is about making sure families facing spinal cord injuries, Parkinson's and long journeys of recovery don't walk those roads alone.

"Tuesday night, this community stepped up in a big way. We're proud to have raised about $600,000 to help fuel research, rehabilitation and support for the organizations doing that work every day. And we're already looking forward to building on that momentum next year."

As part of the Go Forward! event, the NHL Foundation presented awards to Josh Pauls, a four-time U.S. Paralympic gold medalist in sled hockey, and Lee and Brenda Roy, parents of the late Travis Roy, a forward who sustained a spinal cord injury 11 seconds into his first shift of his debut with Boston University on Oct. 20, 1995, that left him paralyzed from the neck down.

Pauls received the NHL Foundation U.S. Athlete Leadership Award. The Roys received the NHL Foundation U.S. Advocacy Impact Award.

"This is our first truly large fundraising event, and we couldn't be more proud to be honoring such amazing organizations," said Kim Davis, the NHL Foundation U.S. president and NHL senior executive vice president of social impact, growth initiatives and legislative affairs. "The NHL Foundation is really about using the sport of hockey to help build strong and more vibrant communities and the work that we do is never done alone. It's done because of the people in the room tonight. Our ability to be able to do this comes as a result of the work that's done on the ice, but what we do off the ice is just as important.

In attendance were NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly, Hockey Hall of Famers Cam Neely and Brendan Shanahan, 1980 United States Olympic gold medalists Rob McClanahan and Buzz Schneider, former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason, and several retired NHL players.

Keegan-Michael Key, an Emmy Award-winning actor, comedian, producer and writer, and Tony Reali, the former host of ESPN's "Around the Horn," shared in emceeing.

The NHL Foundation hosted its first Go Forward! event in Boston during the 4 Nations Face-Off last season and is planning the third next year during NHL All-Star Weekend that will be hosted by the New York Islanders and UBS Arena.

"We're really treating Go Forward! as our flagship charitable event every year to benefit the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, Michael J. Fox Foundation and others depending on the market we're in," Wooley said. "This is just the beginning."