Since its inception, more than $2 million has been raised by the Travis Roy Hockey Classic to help those impacted by spinal cord injuries. This year, the proceeds will benefit the NHL Foundation's Go Forward! campaign and its nonprofit partners: the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, Michael J. Fox Foundation, SCIboston/Travis Roy Legacy Grant, pdLIFE Foundation and the Stay in Step Spinal Cord Injury Recovery Center.
The lifetime cost for someone with a spinal cord injury can range between $1 million and $5 million, so the money raised by the foundation and charity game have gone a long way. More than 30 years after Travis' tragic accident, thousands have seen their quality of life improve because of what he started.
"We have raised about $150,000 from this event, and it's coupled with the over $600,000 that we raised at the Go Forward! event," said Kim Davis, NHL senior executive vice president of social impact, growth initiatives and legislative affairs. "So, it's consistent with all the work that we're trying to do to eliminate and to support spinal court injuries and just adaptive services in general."
Scott Litner, global sports and entertainment director at Morgan Stanley, was friends with Roy and started the annual charity game. His father, Dr. Richard Litner, also sustained a spinal cord injury in a 2005 accident and spent several months at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.
Dr. Litner, a general and pediatric surgeon, died at age 72 on May 22, 2006.
"I wanted to get involved with something that was spinal correlated, and I was fortunate enough to be introduced to Travis Roy, and Travis and I became really, really close," Litner said. "For years, Travis hosted this charity game at [Boston University], and it was a really great thing."
The teams Sunday were coached by Lightning alum and Stanley Cup champions Tyler Johnson and Dave Andreychuk, with retired Tampa Bay players Glen Metropolit, Nate Thompson, Ryan Malone and Jassen Cullimore playing in the game.
"I think anytime you can give back and try to help out is really important for me," Johnson said. "Just getting done with my career, and I'm so lucky and fortunate to meet so many good people and kind of be around so many good things.
"When you're so busy playing, sometimes you're not able to help out as much as you can. Now that I have more time, I'm just really looking forward to be able to help out as much as I can, and it's such a good event to get some awesome people here that raised a bunch of money and that's what it's all about."
At the 2026 Go Forward! reception last month, Lee and Travis' mother, Brenda Roy, were honored with the NHL Foundation U.S. Advocacy Impact Award.
"It was an honor to present that to them," Litner said. "I was just incredibly honored to be a part of that. And they certainly deserve it. They're incredible human beings, so it meant quite a bit to me that they wanted to give back for everyone they've done for countless people and recognize them from their efforts."
The partnership with the NHL Foundation has led to more opportunities to expand the outreach and increase donations going towards great causes.
"Somehow, we made it happen, and nine years later, we've now raised over $2 million," Litner said. "I can't tell you how many lives that you guys, all the guys behind you, have impacted."
Davis said, "It's putting into action what we say all the time, and that is hockey is indeed for everyone. We don't just want those to be words. We want to demonstrate that through our actions and our deeds, so it is absolutely gratifying. And what a way to start the day of Stadium Series with this kind of hockey."
