The atmosphere at Warrior Ice Arena was a little different on Dec. 7 when the Boston Bruins Alumni Association faced off against the Warrior For Life Fund in their annual benefit game.
The arena was filled with fans donning black and gold, waiting for the opportunity to watch members of the 2011 Stanley Cup-winning team — Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Mark Recchi, Dennis Seidenberg, Johnny Boychuk, Shawn Thornton, Gregory Campbell, Adam McQuaid, Tuukka Rask, Andrew Ference and Chris Kelly put the Spoked-B and skate the exhibition game against a stacked lineup of active-duty and retired Navy SEALs.
WFLF executive director Capt. Ryan Croley leads the charge as the organization supports active duty, veterans, and their families through sport and community as they navigate the unique challenges of combat deployments and life after service. Croley and Boston Bruins Alumni president Frank Simonetti have been working together since the former NHL defenseman was introduced to the Virginia Beach Hockey Club in 2016.
“It struck me in many different ways,” Simonetti told Troiani Rink Report. “One, there was a vibrant hockey community in Virginia Beach, and this hockey community included the nation’s elite special forces of Naval Special Warfare and that they were using hockey as a therapeutic tool, as a family connections tool, and just many ways of keeping the fabric of their community together, if you will, for the stresses that they were enduring during the war on terror.
“It just shook me how important hockey was to them. And at the same time, it made me realize how important hockey was to me, having grown up with it and having a very soft landing when I retired from the Bruins to the Bruins Alumni. I didn’t have to deal with a lot of the transition issues.”
The organizations have partnered beyond just the games on the ice. Warrior For Life Fund produced a documentary, focusing on the “living tribute to sacrifice, resilience, and the enduring bonds of service,” directed by Michael Penhollow of Penzy Films.
Penhollow’s name may not be familiar to Bruins fans, but his work should be. He filmed several projects for the Original Six franchise, including “Behind the B” and “Bruins Academy.” Putting the film together was relatively easy for Penhollow, considering the subject matter and the organizations he was working with.
“I like to work with people who have a similar mindset,” Penhollow told Troiani Rink Report. “So, I like being able to work with them and articulate the story they were trying to tell from a creative standpoint because they had all the meat and potatoes of what they wanted to say. Ryan specifically had a vision of how he wanted it to look or flow and the story he wanted to tell. They put the faith in me to creatively piece it all together.”
Penhollow was behind the camera during filming, and Dana Casullo played a crucial role in encouraging the families to open up and share their stories for the film.
“(Dana) was the one who was able to get some meaningful, impactful responses … some tears,” Penhollow said. “It’s a credit for her being able to get those questions asked properly and then doing so in a respectful but meaningful way.
“That was really great from a storytelling perspective to kind of tell all the angles of the story. It was obviously very emotional to hear the stories as you’re filming. You get emotional yourself hearing what they’re going through, and you couldn’t imagine what that would be like for yourself if you were in their shoes.”
Penhollow continued: “To see them smile and get excited and be able to kind of do it all together was really inspiring because it was just very touching to hear their stories. And them having to relive and talk about it was very, it’s … it triggers a lot of emotions, right? They’re all very nice people. Very grateful that they participated in and were willing to answer some tough questions. It was special to hear and be a part of.”
“You get emotional yourself hearing what they’re going through, and you couldn’t imagine what that would be like for yourself if you were in their shoes.”
Mike Penhollow
Selecting Gold Star Families for the “Face Off For Heroes” documentary wasn’t as easy as putting the concept together for Croley.
“We lost 50 guys from the SEAL teams,” Croley told Troiani Rink Report. “And that in itself is a big number. But, if you imagine each one of them had a spouse and, say, one kid, now you have 150. And then for all those neighbors and kids that were coached (in various sports) by these dads, it gets pretty wide. It gets pretty thick pretty quickly.”
Knowing how big the event is, initially called “The Nate Hardy Memorial Game,” Croley made sure Steve Hardy, Nate’s father, was on hand as one of the three Gold Star Families honored at the event.
“Nate Hardy served with me in Gold Squadron,” Croley explained. “So there was a connection there initially. We’ve had trouble going away from that game because, quite frankly, Steve Hardy just represents so well.
“He’s inspiring to the players, but he’s also a mentor to Nate’s teammates. That history goes on for a long time. He’s not needy. He doesn’t ask for much. He shows up and does his stuff.”
Warrior For Life Fund also honored the families of fallen Cmdr. Brian Bourgeois and Chief Petty Officer Mike Ernst at the Dec. 7 game in Boston.
“There are 50-plus guys that deserve this memorial,” Simonetti said. “And we’ll work through those. A lot of this stuff that’s happening now is organic. People see what we’re doing. They want to get involved. They call us to reach out.”
“People want to support our mission,” Croley added.
The mission is clear, and the partnership between the Bruins Alumni and WFLF will only continue to grow each season. The date for the next Face Off For Heroes game is TBD, but Simonetti and Croley hope they can bring the matchup to a larger venue so more fans can attend.
Troiani Rink Report 
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