The National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) and veteran NHL player, Georges Laraque, have partnered with World Vision to support the people of Haiti through the Hockey for Haiti project. To launch the initiative, the NHLPA Goals & Dreams fund is providing an initial donation of $100,000 to Hockey for Haiti, through World Vision.

"World Vision is proud to stand with Georges, the NHLPA and hockey fans around the country to respond to this catastrophe. I've just come back from Port-au-Prince and the scale of the devastation is just overwhelming. Whatever you can give, know that your contribution makes a tremendous difference," said Dave Toycen, President and CEO of World Vision Canada.

In order to raise even more funds and encourage fan participation, the NHLPA will be hosting an online auction—beginning on Monday, January 25—which will feature unique memorabilia donated by the NHLPA and its members.

The auction, which is expected to last more than a month, will feature unique items such as Winter Classic jerseys worn by stars like Pavel Datsyuk, Patrice Bergeron, Chris Pronger and Brent Seabrook. Other items will include autographed Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin jerseys and autographed game-used sticks from Scott Gomez and Andrei Markov. Many more one-of-a-kind memorabilia items will be added throughout the auction, and nhlpa.com will also encourage participants to make a donation to the Hockey for Haiti project through the World Vision website.

“The people of Haiti, including my family and friends, have been through so much devastation since the earthquake hit their country,” said Laraque. “The NHLPA donation will help World Vision strengthen Haiti’s ability to provide critical healthcare and medical care, which the Haitian people desperately need more of after the destruction.”

Laraque, whose family in Haiti has been directly impacted by this earthquake, added: “I'm extremely proud that the hockey community, including NHL players and fans, are uniting through Hockey for Haiti to make significant contributions toward this cause. Please open up your heart to these people. This is our chance to do something big to help a nation rebuild itself.”

The NHLPA is enthusiastically supporting Laraque’s initiative to raise money for this World Vision relief effort. Laraque has also sent a personal note to his fellow NHL players, requesting their support, and the NHLPA has posted all pertinent information on getting involved on its players-only intranet site.

"The NHLPA, together with Georges Laraque, is proud to support the players' efforts to help rebuild Haiti through an important partnership with World Vision," said Devin Smith, Chairman of NHLPA Goals & Dreams. "The recent earthquake has affected Georges personally, and the tragedy has touched us all. We believe that we can work together toward a common goal of building Haiti's capacity to deliver essential medical and healthcare thanks to the commitment and compassion of NHL players and fans."