Several Florida players played games and did art projects with patients at the hospital during Wednesday's visit
Several Florida Panthers players visited a local children’s hospital on Wednesday afternoon to say hello to the young patients and spread some holiday cheer.
Panthers captain Sasha Barkov was joined by teammates Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Reinhart and Brandon Montour at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood.
They spent time with several patients, playing air hockey and video games with some while doing some arts and crafts activities with others.
“This room is awesome, one of the best playrooms I’ve ever seen,” Barkov said of the facilities at Joe DiMaggio. “It has everything.”
Panthers mascot Stanley C. Panther and members of the Panthers Ice Dancers were also on hand.
The players had a great time with the kids, taking photos and signing autographs for everyone who asked.
“We enjoy doing this, it’s awesome,” said Montour. “The circumstances that the families are in, any way we can bring a smile to their face, just by taking a quick picture or chit-chat a little bit, we enjoy it, especially this time of year.”
Barkov has been an ambassador for Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital for several years now.
He is in his fifth season of his #BarkovScores4JoeD campaign, in which Barkov donates $1,600 for every goal he scores and $800 for each of his assists, in addition to providing a suite at every Panthers home game for the hospital to use for patients and staff.
“I’ve been associated with Joe-D (Joe Dimaggio) for a while now,” said Barkov. “It’s always fun to come here and see the kids and their parents. I really enjoy being here and trying to bring a little joy.”
Since launching the partnership in 2019, Barkov has donated $313,600 to the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital Foundation.
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