Stars Shine In Big Assist

It might be sweltering July, but it was definitely hockey season inside the Terry Conners Rink Wednesday night. A slew of professional and collegiate stars squared off in the second annual Big Assist. The star-studded game drew a sold-out crowd to raise money for the Obie Harrington-Howes Foundation.

The game was an exhibition, but nevertheless, the guys on the ice played their hearts out. “The pace was fantastic for a charity game, probably one of the quickest games I’ve ever played in,” said Glenn Anderson, an NHL Hall of Famer who won six Stanley Cups in his career with the Rangers, Oilers and Maple Leafs. Anderson’s White Team finished with a 7-3 win over the Blue Team, which featured NHL stars such as the Lightning’s Martin St. Louis and the Islanders’ Matt Moulson.

The White Team also featured NHL pros and Darien Youth Hockey alumni Ryan Shannon (Ottawa Senators) and Jaime Sifers (Atlanta Thrashers). Shannon organized the event to benefit the Obie Harrington-Howes foundation, named after his first coach.

Harrington-Howes coached youth hockey and lacrosse in Darien for decades. In 1997, he was paralyzed as a result of a swimming accident,.Since then, his foundation has provided others with spinal cord injuries with more than $2 million in financial assistance.

Shannon, Harrington-Howe and the foundation decided to move the event from the 800-capacity Darien Ice Rink to the 2,000-seat Terry Conners Rink this year, but the house was still packed with fans. “The support has been overwhelming,” Shannon said. “We didn’t know what tonight was going to be like, and everyone came through. Great atmosphere, the game was awesome--it was good entertainment.”

Obie admitted that he didn’t get to see as much of the game as he would have liked, instead spending much of his time Wednesday chatting with friends who stopped to wish him well. Still, he appreciated that so many great players and fans came out to support his cause. “The word ‘wow’ kind of sums it up,” he said. “It’s very humbling.”

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