NHL Hall of Famer Glenn Anderson commits to "Big Assist" fundraiser

The list of National Hockey League players who have committed to next month's "Big Assist" fundraiser is growing and now includes Hall of Famer Glenn Anderson and current Tampa Bay Lightning star Martin St. Louis.
 
This year's winner of the Lady Byng Trophy, St. Louis also attended the inaugural event last year and has an offseason home in Greenwich.
 
Anderson won six Stanley Cup during an 18-year career -  five with the Edmonton Oilers and one with the New York Rangers - and was inducted into the hockey Hall of Fame in 2008. Over the past few years, he has become friends with Ryan Shannon, a Darien native and member of the Ottawa Senators who is running the fundraiser.
 
 The "Big Assist" is set for July 14 at 7 p.m. at the Terry Conners Rink in Stamford. One hundred percent of the evening's proceeds will go to the Obie Harrington-Howes Foundation, which provides critical care for Connecticut residents with spinal cord injuries.
 
This is a cause that has become close to Shannon's heart. His first youth hockey coach, Obie Harrington-Howes, suffered a freak accident at New York's Jones Beach in 1997 that left him paralyzed.
 
"Obie was my first hockey coach," Shannon says. "He suffered a spinal cord injury 13 years ago and since then he has dedicated himself to assisting others with spinal cord injuries and disease."
 
To date, 29 players have committed to attend the event, including a number with local ties.
 
The other NHL players who have committed include: James Van Riemsdyk;  Philadelphia Flyers; Greg Moore, New York Rangers; Matt Moulson, New York Islanders; Nick Bonino, Anaheim Ducks; Matt Lashoff; Tampa Bay Lightning; Detroit Red Wings starting goaltender Jimmy Howard; and Jaime Sifers of the Minnesota Wild, who is a Stratford native.
Also in attendance will be Hugh Jessiman, currently a member of the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals who grew up in Darien.
 
 "(The) lineup is the best the area has ever seen by miles and miles," said Ryan Shannon's father, Pat, who is promoting the event.
 
The roster also includes a number of top college players, such as Union's College's Kevin Sullivan and Colby College's Bobby Sullivan, who played in the Darien Youth Hockey Association.
 
In addition, three members of Boston College's 2010 NCAA national championship team will be on hand: Tom and Cam Atkinson and Ben Smith. The Atkinsons are Greenwich natives.
 
Other college players include Steve Moses and Jack Downing of New Hampshire, Yale's Brock Little and Quinnipiac's Ben Ketchum (Greenwich).

Completing the line-up are: