We’ve all been blessed in life with somebody who we can call a role model. Somebody who sets an example, who guides us in a good direction, who we can look up to and be proud of. I’ve no doubt that everybody reading this has someone, or maybe even several “someones”, they call role models in their lives. Perhaps they’re even the reason you participate in the 11 Day Power Play. Maybe you play in honor of them, or help support them in their own fight against cancer. 

I have too many role models to count, but three important people in my life come to mind. Three people who inspired my hockey career. Three people who, were it not for them, I most certainly would not have a place in this incredible hockey family at the 11 Day Power Play. 

My best friend Craig Miller is a role model. After all, without Craig, I would’ve never played hockey in the first place. Craig grew up in my neighborhood in suburban Philadelphia, just down the end of Friar Drive to the third house on Sherwood. We met when we were approximately three years old, and he’s been my best friend ever since. Craig signed up for a floor hockey league in nearby Northampton Township when we were 8 or 9 years old, and I thought it was a cool idea and decided to join him the following season. So, without much clue what I was doing (after all, I just wanted to be on my friend’s team), I signed up for my first hockey league, and off I went running after that bright orange plastic ball. 

We played on the “Blackhawks,” clad in black jerseys, and I turned into a pretty good left wing-defenseman combo, but I don’t think we ever won anything in that league. That chance decision to play hockey in Craig’s league turned into (at the time of writing) an 15-plus year floor, roller, and ice hockey career that, barring a catastrophic injury, will hopefully continue for many years to come!

Craig inspired my passion for playing hockey. He has been my best friend for the better part of three decades, and even joined me at NHL games in six cities, from New York to Vancouver. He has inspired me with his steadfast friendship, his kind heart, and his love for the New Jersey Devils.

(….okay, maybe not the Devils part!)

My friend Rob Suggitt is a role model. I first came across Rob’s name while perusing hockey blogs, searching for some inspiration for my own writings and my goal to see an NHL game in all 32 arenas in the league. Rob, a native of Edmonton, Alberta, also accomplished that goal in 2015, when the NHL had just 30 teams. But he went far above the normal call of duty.: he attended all 30 games in 30 cities in 30 nights. Yep, a different city every night for a month straight!

But what really makes Rob a role model in my eyes is his generous spirit: Rob raised over $40,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Canada as part of his NHL travels. I almost fell out of my chair reading about his impact on others, and it undoubtedly motivated me on my own fundraising efforts during my NHL travels. Rob turned my humble bucket list hockey dream into a life-long passion project, and I’m proud to say that I’ve raised nearly $20,000 to date for cancer research from my hockey journeys and my participation in the 11 Day Power Play. 

My captain at the 11 Day Power Play, Mike Saletta, is a role model. I first met Mike back in 2022 when I joined the Power Play for the first time as a free agent. I didn’t know a soul in Buffalo, save my friend Ryan, of course. I’d be playing hockey for three hours with a group of complete strangers. Not exactly the best situation for someone with social anxiety…

But Mike was a fantastic leader: kind, welcoming, and genuinely interested in getting to know me. He has organized two teams of players for the Power Play annually, coordinating various groups of friends and teammates from Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and yes, even North Carolina. Over the years, he’s grown into far more than a team captain: I’m honored to call him a wonderful friend!

All while fighting his own unique battle against cancer. Mike has a form of white blood cell cancer called chronic lymphocytic leukemia, or CLL. It’s a common form of leukemia and interestingly enough, it’s “stage zero” cancer for Mike. It’s always there, but it’s rarely symptomatic, meaning he’s able to carry on working and playing hockey and living fairly normally. I’m happy to say my annual check-ins with him about his health have always been positive, a trend I hope continues at the 2026 Power Play.

And of course, my grandmother Leona Dotson was a role model. Leona was an incredible lady who encouraged so many people, from the thousands of students she taught math to in New Jersey, to virtually every member of our family. Her positive attitude and generous spirit were contagious, and everyone who knew her benefitted from those incredible characteristics.

When I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in April 2018, Grandma was more frail, more forgetful, but not lacking for any spirit or warmth of heart. I cherished the many visits to her condo in Charlotte those last few months, particularly enjoying giving her some chocolate-covered strawberries for Mothers’ Day and writing to her on her whiteboard when her hearing aid batteries went out. But despite her declining physical and mental condition, only one thing mattered to her. “Are you happy? Are you doing something you enjoy?” That was all she wanted us to understand. That was her last lesson, but perhaps her most important.

A few months after my move to North Carolina, Leona’s incredible story came to an end. But in a way, I’d like to think my hockey journey, and my annual trip to Buffalo for the 11 Day Power Play, is a fitting epilogue. Encouraging us to do something we enjoyed led me to the idea of doing things I love: seeing hockey games, traveling, visiting with old and new friends. Her many years of charitable generosity led me to the idea of giving back to honor her memory and her life. Her two courageous (and successful) fights with cancer led me to the idea of supporting the Power Play and without that encouragement and motivation, I never could’ve imagined the impact we’ve made to date. In her honor I will continue to fight.

Every year, thousands of players to the 11 Day Power Play with a common mission: to win the fight against cancer. To make a difference in our community for those in need. To honor the impacts our role models have made on our lives. And along the way, to have a blast doing it.

And along the way, maybe we can inspire a friend to join in on this beautiful sport we love. Maybe we can raise some much-needed money for groundbreaking research or to help a family who can’t pay their medical bills. And maybe, no, most definitely, we can be happy doing it. 

Grandma would like that for us.