The Nashville Predators defenseman lost his grandfather, Robert Irwin, to ALS when Matt was young, and it made an impact on his life.
ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, and there is no known cure.
When the Predators play the Buffalo Sabres at Bridgestone Arena on Monday (8 p.m. ET; SNE, SNP, MSG-B, FS-TN, NHL.TV), Irwin will host Tom Nelson and his wife at the game.
Nelson has been diagnosed with ALS, and attending a Predators game is one of the items on his bucket list.
Irwin will present Nelson with a jersey, invite him to high-five the players as they go on the ice for warmups and invite him to meet the team after the game.
One of the most rewarding parts about being a player in the NHL is the impact you can have on another the life of another person, Irwin said.
"I think we're unique in that sense," he said. "It's a good opportunity for us as players to step up and lend a helping hand or awareness or anything it might be to maybe brighten up their day just a little bit. It's such a devastating disease. There's no cure. Just to see how it slowly, or rapidly, deteriorates the body, it depends, it's super-sad. The opportunity I have to help out in any way, I'm looking forward to it tonight."
The disease has taken away Nelson's ability to speak, but he hasn't let that stop him from living his life.
"It's cool that he wants to come and support us," Irwin said. "For me to have the opportunity to help out in any way I can is really a cool opportunity for me. My grandfather passed away from ALS when I was really young, around 4, so I didn't get to know him all that well. But I definitely remember the little things that you'd remember as a kid, like the motorized scooter and all of those things that I thought at the time was pretty cool, not really fully understanding the reason why he was using that kind of technology.
"I know what kind of a burden it has on your loved ones and the family that has to go through it with him, support him, reconstruct the house for mobility purposes and stuff like that."
Monday is International Day of Disabled Persons and several NHL teams are holding events around the day:
- The New Jersey Devils are recognizing Joel Tapia of the Woodbridge (N.J.) Warriors Sled Hockey Program before their game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Prudential Center (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, MSG+, SUN, NHL.TV) on Monday. Tapia, who participated in New Jersey's Hockey Is For Everyone clinic last season, will high-five the Devils as they head onto the ice and then join the starting lineup on the blue line.
- The Lightning hosted a sled hockey tournament Friday that featured two teams sponsored by the Lightning competing against the Nashville Sled Preds, Carolina Hurricanes, Space Coast Blast and Knoxville Sled Bears.
- The Philadelphia Flyers turned the PowerPlay Wheelchair Hockey Team's typical weekend game into a Flyers home-game atmosphere by implementing several elements associated with NHL games at Wells Fargo Center. Several Flyers players and 60 season-ticket holders showed up, and Lauren Hart, who sings the national anthem at Flyers games, did the same for the wheelchair game. Flyers mascot Gritty made an appearance during intermission.
- The Carolina Hurricanes will host a sled hockey theme night during a game against the Washington Capitals at PNC Arena on Dec. 14. Three members from the United States Olympic sled hockey team will attend the game. They will participate in a 3-on-3 intermission game with a local sled program.
