Hayden Thorsen loved hockey and excelled as a goalie in Darien. The 16-year-old died unexpectedly in May of 2022 and his family is using his passion for hockey to help Hayden's legacy live on.
"When we talk about the shoulder check, it exists because that's who Hayden was every day of his life," said Thorsen's dad Rob. "He's the guy who checked on people."
Thorsen's family has created the HT40 Foundation and Shoulder Check Showcase, which is not just a hockey term, but an act of compassion, encouraging young people to check in on their friends. After Thorsen's passing, his family received hundreds of letters expressing the positive impact he had on others.
"I'm like 'I know "Haydes,'" my wife, my daughter, we're like we know "Haydes" as well as anyone could know "Haydes" and now all of the sudden it's almost like we didn't know the half of the impact he had on the people in his life," said Rob Thorsen.
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"Kids in the locker room or at family dinner tables were saying things like who's going to do what Hayden did for us? This idea answers that and says we all will," he continued.
The mantra is reach out, check in and make contact.
On Aug. 3, more than a dozen current NHL players and coaches will be on the ice at Terry Connors Rink in Stamford for the Shoulder Check Showcase. They say they have sold 1,500 tickets for the event and it is sold out.
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More information on Shoulder Check can be found here.
