#HartnellDown as much a legacy as 1,000 games for Jackets' Hartnell
Blue Jacket forward Scott Hartnell is only the 297th NHL player to reach the milestone of playing 1,000 games in the NHL. But, that is not all he should be known for. There is another significant legacy that he is leaving to the hockey community in the form of his #HartnellDown foundation.
The foundation got its name after fans of Hartnell's former team, the Philadelphia Flyers, started to keep track of how many times the forward fell on the ice during games. As the movement took hold on social media, Hartnell decided to take ownership of the #HartnellDown hashtag and do some good with it.
"I'm blown away how it started and where it's come," Hartnell said. "Only time will tell where it will go, but at the end of the day we're helping kids who might not be able to afford hockey camp experience a world-class hockey training camp and we give back to different organizations as well."
Since 2012, Hartnell has donated $50 for every time he falls in games to the foundation and additional funds are collected through the sale of t-shirts, hats, hoodies and a children's book that Hartnell wrote with his sister. The money collected is used to provide scholarships to hockey camps and to support charities that focus on children and hockey in the US and Canada.
"I hope he keeps falling," said 17-year-old Akeem Adesiji of Clintonville.
Last summer, Adesiji was one of four children from the Columbus Ice Hockey Club (CIHC) that was invited to the Minnesota Hockey Camp, where Hartnell also trains. Adesiji's enrollment in the camp was paid for by #HartnellDown, his travel costs were covered by the Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation.
"It's unlike anything I've ever been to, it was amazing," Adesiji said. "The hockey there is incredible. The coaches there were some of the best I've ever been with. Everyone loves the game; everyone knows what they're talking about. Everything there is focused around hockey - it was really cool."
Adesiji says he learned valuable skills that have translated to his game on the ice and he also got to watch NHL players train. During their down time, Hartnell joined the group of #HartnellDown kids for breakfast a few times and took them out on the shooting range. After one shooting session, he gave Adesiji his stick.
"(Hartnell) definitely took time to talk to us and to know all the kids he brought out there," Adesiji said. "He's a really funny guy too, his sense of humor is incredible. It was a lot of fun to get to meet him."
Minnesota is not the only camp to which #HartnellDown sends children. Last year, Hartnell visited his hometown of Lloydminster, Alberta to read his children's book and also to announce #HartnellDown was sending six local youth hockey players to the Lloydminster Bobcats hockey camp.
"The Bobcats are the junior A, tier II team that I played at when I was 15," Hartnell said. "It's great to give back to your hometown and it's great to meet the kids and the parents and see how appreciative they are, it makes your heart melt."
According to Carrie Wood-Grillo, executive director of #HartnellDown, in 2012, the foundation's first year, they were able to send 12 children to camps. The goal is to double that number every year, and in the past three years #HartnellDown has been able to fund a total of 112 hockey camp scholarships for children from the Philadelphia, Columbus and Lloydminster areas.
"I started going to those camp myself to train, I still do," Hartnell said. "You see these little kids wide eyed looking at professional hockey players training. To see their faces while they watch us train and skate it's just a cool feeling to have."
As #HartnellDown looks to grow its reach, fans can keep track of the foundation's progress. There is a #HartnellDown app available for both iOS and Android mobile devices that is updated every game with how many times Hartnell falls and how much money he'll be donating to the program.
Donations and merchandise sales augment the foundation's fundraising and Wood-Grillo says the foundation is excited to see how the Columbus fan base takes ownership of the #HartnellDown concept going forward.
Even as support within the Blue Jackets community grows, #HartnellDown is already hard at work making a difference in Central Ohio.
"I've seen (Hartnell) a couple times," Adesiji said. "He remembers me, and says hi to me every time. When I see I him I tell him thanks for the opportunity (to attend the camp). I can't say it enough. It's something I'll remember for a long time and something I probably would never have done if he didn't have the #HartnellDown foundation."
You can find more information on #HartnellDown at www.hartnelldown.com. #HartnellDown merchandise is also available at Blue Jackets home games at the Blue Jackets Foundation kiosk located behind section 111.
Follow Alison on twitter at @AlisonL
