I’ve always found hockey players to be a fascinating bunch. The same guys who are more than eager to drop the gloves on the ice are the same ones who often extend a hand off it to those in need.
Ryan Getzlaf is a good example. The captain of the Anaheim Ducks has two Olympic gold medals, his name on the Stanley Cup and three young children – Ryder, Gavin, and Willa. The latter trio is the primary reason he and his wife, Paige, started the Ryan Getzlaf Shootout five years ago to benefit CureDuchenne, an organization in Newport Beach that funds research to find a cure for the muscle disease that affects one boy in every 3,500 births.
The Getzlafs got involved after meeting Paul and Debra Miller, whose son, Hawken, now 18 and a freshman at USC, was diagnosed with Duchenne in 2003. Most boys are diagnosed by 5, in a wheelchair before their teenage years and don’t survive their mid-20s.
“We knew instantly that this was one of the causes we needed to support,” Getzlaf told me recently before his annual golf tournament at Monarch Beach in Dana Point. “Paige and I were looking to work with charities, and the Millers inspired us. They didn’t ask for anything, but we knew we had to get involved. You can go one of two ways when you’re delivered news that they were delivered, and they took the high road. This golf tournament and other research they’re pushing for has helped everybody, not only their son, but also many others. It’s a privilege to help.”
It’s also something that comes naturally to Getzlaf, who sports a 4 handicap on the course and is in his 10th season with the Ducks. While the hockey season hasn’t gone according to plan so far, with the Ducks at X-X-X in mid-November, Getzlaf’s propensity for giving is what this month – December – is all about, so hopefully his charitable ways are seen as inspirational.
“I feel like we have a lot of things in our lives that we’re able to take advantage of, and I think it comes with great responsibility,” he said of being a professional athlete and in the public eye. “It’s the way I was raised and it’s part of the NHL culture. If you’re able to do it, helping others and donating time to good causes shouldn’t be a difficult decision to make.”
For Paul Miller, the founder of CureDuchenne, having the support of Getzlaf helps.
“Ryan’s a great guy. He gets it. There’s a reason he’s a captain of an NHL hockey team. He’s a leader. He’s great at rallying people,” Miller said. “Any celebrity attention we get puts a face to the cause and helps immensely, because the boys, they don’t get a voice; they usually don’t grow up enough to make a name for themselves.”
With support from CureDuchenne, the FDA could approve three pharmaceutical treatments within the next year, Miller said, with hope that the drugs could lessen the effects of the disease for those with certain mutations of Duchenne.
“Things are moving quickly, and that’s what we like to see because it shows that the publicity and charitable efforts are making a difference,” said Getzlaf, whose event raised $440,000 this year and $1.3 million to date. “Regardless of the time, we’re in it for the long haul. We’ve gotten to know so many people who are helping and we’ve gotten to know some of the boys. We want them to be with us for a long time.”
