- Former Flame finishes second in PokerStars.net NHL Alumni Charity Poker Tournament. Matches his winnings with a personal donation -
EDMONTON, April 7, 2015 /CNW/ - Today, former Calgary Flame and NHL All-Star Theo Fleury, announced a $30,000 donation to Alberta-based charity Little Warriors, an organization dedicated to the awareness, prevention and treatment of child sexual abuse. Fleury finished second in the PokerStars.net NHL Alumni Charity Poker Tournament to earn $15,000 for Little Warriors and matched the amount with another $15,000 donation.
After outlasting most of the decorated 18-player field, the tournament ended with Fleury going head to head with the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event Champion, Jonathan Duhamel. Ultimately, poker experience prevailed and Duhamel won the event and $25,000 for his charity, One Drop Foundation, which provides access to water and sanitation in developing countries.
"I'm pretty competitive so I wanted to win, but the fact that the guy who beat me is one of the best players in the world lessens the sting a little bit," said Fleury. "The real winners are the charities supported through the tournament and I was proud to support a worthy cause like Little Warriors."
Interestingly, Fleury wasn't the only person in the tournament who played to support Little Warriors. Dr. Mary Pudmoreff, a psychologist from Sherwood Park, Alberta, qualified for her seat in the tournament through an online tournament at PokerStars.net. Pudmoreff failed to advance to the final table of the tournament, however all participants were guaranteed $2,500 for their charity, which Pudmoreff donated to Little Warriors.
"We were so honoured to have both Mary and Theo play in the tournament in support of Little Warriors," said Glori Meldrum, founder of Little Warriors. "We aim to bring awareness to the subject of child sexual abuse. When we found out Theo and Mary had both chosen Little Warriors we were so excited! The donations will help us treat children at the Be Brave Ranch, a long -term treatment facility that opened last fall to treat children who have been sexually abused."
The PokerStars.net NHL Alumni Charity Poker Tournament took place in Toronto in July 2014. The results have been under wraps since then while episodes of the tournament aired on Rogers Sportsnet channels from January through to March.
The NHL Alumni who participated in the tournament were Mark Napier, Brad May, Darcy Tucker, Marty McSorley, Denis Savard, Matthew Barnaby, Jeremy Roenick, Jay McKee and Paul Coffey. They were joined by broadcast personalities, Greg Sansone and Elliotte Friedman, Team PokerStars Pros, Jonathan Duhamel, Daniel Negreanu and Vanessa Rousso, and three online qualifiers who won their seat in the tournament by playing in online poker tournaments at PokerStars.net. As a result of the tournament, a total of $100,000 was donated to a variety of charitable organizations.
About Little Warriors
Little Warriors is a national charitable organization committed to the awareness, prevention and treatment of child sexual abuse. The organization works to educate adults on how to recognize and prevent child sexual abuse while giving them the resources they need to react responsibly. In the fall of 2014, the organization opened the Be Brave Ranch, a facility offering family-oriented treatment and multiple proven therapies for sexual abuse victims ages 8-12.
SOURCE Little Warriors
Image with caption: "Theo Fleury participating in the PokerStars.net NHL Alumni Charity Poker Tournament. (CNW Group/Little Warriors)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150407_C8758_PHOTO_EN_14020.jpg
Image with caption: "Glori Meldrum, founder and chair of Little Warriors, accepting the donation from Theo Fleury. (CNW Group/Little Warriors)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150407_C8758_PHOTO_EN_14019.jpg
Shannon Phelan, Little Warriors, [email protected], 403.370.6199
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