1th Annual Monmouth versus Ocean High School All Star Hockey Game

On the surface Jim Dowd’s 11th Annual Monmouth versus Ocean High School All Star Hockey Game is an opportunity for many of the shore’s top players to lace up the skates in the summer. 32 of them will be on the ice Sunday night at the Red Bank Armory with the Ocean County All Stars looking to end a six-year losing streak as Monmouth leads the series 7-3.

The game is the brainchild of NHL veteran Jim Dowd, who came up with the idea through his “Shoot for the Stars Foundation” which he started during his playing days with the Devils. The Brick native and Point Pleasant resident is hoping to return to the Flyers for his 18th NHL season after helping Philadelphia advance deep into the Stanley Cup Playoffs last spring.
Dowd, who turns 40 later this year does not just lend his name to this All Star game but is involved in all phases of it.

Part of that is choosing a charity to benefit from the proceeds. In the past the game has donated thousands of dollars to individuals, scholarship funds, youth hockey, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ocean County and Dottie’s House. Sunday’s game again demonstrates that this is much more than a hockey game with proceeds going to the Marks Family Fund. Randy Marks was a 40-year old father of six who on Mother’s Day along with four of his children went to place flowers on the grave of his mother who had died a couple of years ago. While visiting the grave Randy suffered a fatal heart attack, witnessed by his children the oldest of which is
9 years old. A well-liked carpenter for the borough of Spring Lake, he leaves his wife Susan and the six children from 7 months to 9 years old.

So while the hockey game is obviously a good time and great experience for the players and their families there is an underlying theme of giving back which is what Dowd has done throughout his professional career. Game time is 6pm at the Red Bank Armory, there will be raffles and giveaways, a free rally towels to the first 400 fans and former Devil Bruce Driver will drop the first pick. Both of last summer’s MVP’s are back….Ken Yasenchock of Monsignor Donovan and Red Bank Catholic’s Kevin Pecca.

If you can’t attend but would like to support the Marks Family Fund then you can send a donation to:

“Shoot For the Stars” Foundation
708 New Jersey Avenue
Point Pleasant Beach, NJ 08742

Random Notes

Random notes and items on the first Monday of May:

One of the highlights of the annual cocktail reception to support the Toms River Student Loan Fund is when a student representative from each of the three high schools is asked to talk about their education and experiences.

The trio of gentlemen who spoke Friday night were not only great ambassadors for their schools and families but three who will no doubt go on to great success. Keith Marschner of Toms River East is headed to Cornell University, Andriy Kuzmov of High School North will be attending the School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University and Patrick Park of High School South is Princeton-bound. By the way Patrick is the third of three Park’s who have done quite well at South. Two of the brothers were Valedictorians and one had to settle for being Salutatorian.

Former first assistant Ocean County Prosecutor Terry Farley and Toms River Elks Lodge #1875 were honored during the event as were the 2007 Teachers of the Year from the school district.

Jim Dowd is one of the oldest current players in the NHL and on Christmas Day he’ll celebrate his 40th birthday. However if the Philadelphia Flyers keep winning Christmas will come early for the Brick Township native and current Point Pleasant resident who is seeking his second Stanley Cup. Dowd’s Flyers will play the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Finals beginning this week and are two steps away from capturing the Cup for the first time since 1975. Dowd helped the New Jersey Devils win their first Cup in 1995.

Today is Cinco de Mayo which many in the United States think is Mexico’s Independence Day, which is in fact September 16th. Cinco de Mayo is a regional holiday in Mexico which commemorates an initial victory of Mexican forces over French forces in 1862 and it seems the day is celebrated more in the United States where like with St. Patrick’s Day it’s become a big one for food, music and of course beverages.

Today also would have been Manny Viggiano’s 80th birthday which would have been a great reason for his family to celebrate. Unfortunately cancer took my father-in-law before this milestone birthday but today when many are toasting Cinco de Mayo they are also hoisting one for you Manny…one of the all-time greats.