Hall of Famer Pat LaFontaine laces them up for a worthy cause
Hockey Hall of Fame Superstar, Pat LaFontaine is best known for scoring goals – but recently he rang up one very big assist. The former Islander, Sabre and Ranger ran a sold-out two-hour hockey clinic at the Boys and Girls Club in Greenwich to help raise funds for medical research of Niemann-Pick type C (NPC), a disease that afflicts Dana and Andrew Marella, ages 13 and 7, of Greenwich. NPC is a rare, degenerative disorder with tragically, no proven treatment and no cure. Children with NPC rarely live past their early teens. So, about 20 young people, who each paid $150, joined LaFontaine – a former Greenwich resident and father of three – on the ice to benefit Dana’s Angels Research Trust (DART), the foundation created five years ago by the Marella family when Dana was first diagnosed. Dana was also on hand to watch the fun from her wheelchair and Andrew proudly took his first skating lesson from Pat. The entire Greenwich community has continued to rally together to bring help and hope to these children in need. Bob DeAngelo, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club, donated the ice skating rink, Express Pizza donated a delicious lunch, and Starbuck’s, Cos Cob, donated coffee and hot chocolate for everyone.
