Third annual Scotland's Yard Road Hockey Classic returns to Kitchener

Excitement and energy filled the air Saturday as the third annual Scotland's Yard Road Hockey Classic made its much anticipated return to Kitchener.

This year's event promised to be a star-studded spectacle, drawing players from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and National Hockey League (NHL) as well as Olympic athletes.

The tournament allowed players of all ages to hit the pavement alongside top-tier talent like the Detroit Red Wing’s Ben Chiarot, Tanner Pearson from the Montreal Canadiens, former Florida Panther and Boston Bruin Gregory Campbell, New Jersey Devil Nathan Bastian, the Winnipeg Jets’ Logan Stanley, former Winnipeg Jet Bryan Little, Professional Women’s Hockey League player Loren Gabel, former Nashville Predator Nick Spaling and former Nashville Predator and New York Ranger Kevin Klein.

“We were told that there's over 200 families right now currently going through a cancer journey and then traveling back and forth to get treatment,” said attendee Brian Santos.

Santos is the father of four-and-a-half-year-old Scotland Santos, a little girl who has been battling cancer since she was three-months-old.

Scotland was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer. For the Santos family, it was an emotional and stressful few years of traveling to access treatment for Scotland.

“She went through chemotherapy for two years. This was a long journey, and what that meant was traveling back and forth to Hamilton. At one point we had to live there for two months. So it was just really difficult,” Santos said.

Scotland Santos poses with her father Brian Santos during the 2024 Scotland's Yard Road Hockey Classic in Kitchener on July 20, 2024. (Hannah Schmidt/CTV News)

Scotland's battle inspired Scotland's Yard - a community initiative supporting cancer care in Waterloo Region. Shortly thereafter, the hockey tournament was established by Jacqueline Chiarot and her husband Ben Chiarot.

“We watched our friends Scottie, Joy and Brian go through Scottie's battle,” said Jacqueline, who is a Grand River Hospital Foundation board member. “What can we do? Hockey is the one thing that we both know well. We know the community loves hockey. So let's run with that and see what happens.”

Since 2021, Scotland's Yard has put on a road hockey tournament to raise funds for Grand River Hospital. This year's event included 64 teams.

“It's a great cause and it touched the hearts of lots of people. So it's good to come out and support,” said Logan Stanley.

Players compete inside a netted area during Scotland’s Yard Road Hockey Classic in Kitchener on July 20, 2024. (Hannah Schmidt/CTV News)

Beyond the competition on the pavement, the event carried a significant mission: to raise funds for Waterloo Wellington's first PET/CT scanner. The medical equipment would increase diagnostic capabilities in the region, providing critical support for early detection and treatment of various conditions, including cancer.

“So what we're trying to do is buy equipment to make the hospital better and give us more options here in our community,” Santos explained.

“I was diagnosed with stage one testicular cancer almost five years ago now, and I was so lucky to have access to all of my care here at home. Now, children in our community don't have that same benefit,” MP for Kitchener Centre Mike Morrice said. “This is just a great way for our community to come together, to raise funds and make sure that the parents whose children have been diagnosed know that our community is here to support them.”

According to the foundation, patients are being sent to other cities in Ontario to receive the scan.

“It'll just help keep more families at home, which is the ultimate goal and to actually decrease that travel and keep the families comfortable while they're going through that life changing battle,” Jacqueline Chiarot said.

As of 1:30 p.m. Saturday, more than $200,000 dollars had been raised for the hospital.

“Every little bit helps. They're raising money for such a good cause,” Stanley said.

“We're trying to raise $50 million in ten years, so the more people that know about it, the more people to consider it, the better it is,” Santos said.