The Logan Boulet effect is alive and well and is set to take over Cochrane on April 7 for Green Shirt Day.
Boulet, along with 16 of his Humboldt Broncos' teammates and affiliates, was killed after a semi-trailer struck the Saskatchewan team's bus on April 6, 2018 — an accident which also left 13 people injured.
Boulet died in hospital the day after the fatal crash, but he was able to save the lives of six others thanks to being a registered organ donor.
Greg Hnatuk, a Cochranite and member of the Canadian Transplant Association who received a kidney, and his fellow organ donation recipient Michelle Hounslow, are determined to keep Boulet's legacy alive through a street hockey event happening at Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre four years after the junior player's untimely passing.
"The real purpose of this event is to be an awareness raiser," said Hnatuk.
"Logan's family donated his organs due to his wishes. He decided that he wanted to be an organ donor."
The hockey player told his parents he was registering to donate his organs after being inspired by his coach and mentor Ric Suggitt, who died the year before and also saved six lives through his decision to be a donor.
"The really incredible thing was 150,000 people signed up to become organ donors after the Logan Boulet information got out to the public," said Hnatuk.
"In the following year, another 100,000 people signed off to do the same through their registry."
The event, he continued, is about showing people where the registry is and encouraging them to think and talk about it with their families.
Hnatuk is involved with Green Shirt Day because he received a kidney 10 years ago and it's his way of saying thank you, and to give back to other people waiting for an organ donation.
"It's an incredible gift and it changes lives," he said.
The event will take place outdoors at SLSFSC with six areas set up for road hockey games.
Each game will turn over every 20 minutes and all ages are welcome to attend.
Players from the Heritage Junior Hockey League's Cochrane Generals and Alberta Junior Female Hockey League's Cochrane Chaos are also set to make appearances at games in support of the event.
The Calgary Flames organization has also made generous donations of an autographed jersey, hockey stick and puck, plus signed photos from three players which will be raffled off at no cost to entrants.
"I was asked by Logan's father, Toby, and the Canadian Transplant Association to help revive the Logan Boulet effect after COVID," said Hnatuk.
"People can come out, have fun, play with some of Cochrane's elite hockey players, and hopefully this will become an annual occurrence here."
Green shirts will be sold at the free event happening from 3 to 8 p.m. and the Jack Tennant Memorial Bridge will be lit green in the evening.
"If people can light up their neighbourhoods green, turn a porch light on and put out a hockey stick, that would also be very helpful to the cause," said Hnatuk.
