STAMFORD, Conn. — A shoulder check is a violent but common part of the game of ice hockey, but in Stamford, the concept of a shoulder check takes on a different and life-altering meaning.
More than 20 professional ice hockey players from the National Hockey League and the Professional Women’s Hockey League attended the second annual Shoulder Check Showcase for Mental Health Awareness, held Thursday at Terry Conners Rink in Stamford.
Thousands of hockey fans attended Thursday’s showcase, which consisted of a Skills Showcase featuring the players in attendance, as well as an NHL Stars Showcase Game.
The event pays tribute to Hayden Thorsen, a Darien teenager and hockey player who died by suicide in 2022.
Players taking part in the Skills Showcase and Showcase Game donned jerseys with the number 40 on them, honoring Hayden and the number he wore as a hockey player.
The Shoulder Check organization was founded in 2023. The organization’s goal is to encourage young people to be there for their peers through action-oriented initiatives that foster social connectedness.
“The Shoulder Check is all about a hand on a shoulder,” says Rob Thorsen, the founder of Shoulder Check, and Hayden’s father. “Often times, we say checking in on someone is as simple as a hand on a shoulder. You never know who might need a hand, but we all have a hand to give, and the more we’re checking on people, the more likely we are to find somebody who needs a hand.”
Thorsen says his son was a friend to all, and that person to reach out to his teammates to check in, and he hopes others follow in Hayden’s mission to be there for anyone who might need it.
Since the launch of the Shoulder Check initiative, the organization says more than 10,000 people across the country have taken the pledge during ice hockey games.
In Shoulder Check games, players circle up at center ice before the puck drops and place a hand on the shoulder of the player next to them, reciting the Shoulder Check pledge, “I promise to… Reach Out…Check In…Make Contact.”
Nearly 80 current and former professional ice hockey players have joined the movement taking this same pledge. Players from teams all throughout the NHL, players with ties to Connecticut, and even players who have formerly played in Connecticut with the state’s professional hockey teams were on hand to support the mission of Shoulder Check and take part in the Skills Showcase and Showcase Game.
“I think it’s really important that this is happening, so it can spread awareness, especially to young kids in the hockey world, or in any sports,” Ava-Louise Griffin, of Hartford, says.
“It’s a good thing. It’s been overlooked for so long,” Scott Griffin, of Hartford, says. “It was not anything that was part of the game or part of the environment. So, it’s really good that they’re taking a look at it now.”
The organization encourages any youth sports organizations, on or off the ice, to take the Shoulder Check pledge and encourage young athletes to support one another, during competition and outside of the game. People can learn more about the Shoulder Check mission at their website, where you can donate to the organization and also sign up to host a Shoulder Check game in your community.
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