Our Partners
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western Washington & Alaska (RMHC)
When a child is seriously ill, families’ lives are turned upside down. Many families travel hundreds of miles, and spend weeks or months getting treatment – because nothing is more important than getting their child the treatment he or she needs. The Ronald McDonald House (“the House”) is a home away from home for families while their children undergo treatment at Seattle Children’s Hospital or the Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC).
The Hockey Challenge began in 1998 when hockey-playing Microsoft employees decided to take an in-house hockey rivalry public and raise money for a good cause at the same time. They teamed up with the Seattle Thunderbirds and the Hockey Challenge was born. The Hockey Challenge is managed by RMHC and the Seattle Thunderbirds and has tremendous momentum and support from the local and national community. Since its inception, the event has raised more than $6 million to support families staying at the House.
The Breakaway Challenge began in 2016 when two long time Hockey Challenge captains sat down to brainstorm new and creative ideas to raise awareness and funds to as part of the bigger Hockey Challenge. After much ribbing back and forth, it came down to a dare - have the non-goalie suit up in goalie gear for the first time. See if anyone would donate for the chance to light the newbie “goalie” and another more experienced goalie up. For any goals scored on the goalies, they would donate additional funds to the House. Much to the captains’ and goalies’ chagrin, the event was much more popular than expected. The goalies sold out the first time slot and had to add a second time slot to face all the pucks purchased. Since its inception, the Breakaway Challenge has raised over $100,000 to support families staying at the House.
To learn more, visit rmhcseattle.org.
Seattle Thunderbirds
The Seattle Thunderbirds have partnered with Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western Washington & Alaska to host the annual RMHC Hockey Challenge at Showare Arena every year. The Seattle Thunderbirds are a major junior ice hockey team based in the city of Kent, Washington. They are part of the U.S. Division of the Western Conference in the Western Hockey League (WHL).
The Breakaway Crew is proud to present our brand of entertainment at each year during intermission at the T-birds game on the day of the Hockey Challenge.
To learn more, visit www.seattlethunderbirds.com/challenge.
Our Sponsors
Symetrix, a global manufacturer of professional audio-video equipment based in the Pacific Northwest, is proud to support the 2023 RMHC Goalie Gauntlet.
For every shot on goal, Symetrix will donate to the Breakaway Hockey Challenge for the benefit of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western Washington and Alaska, up to $1,000.
To learn more, visit https://www.symetrix.co/