Tickets go on sale for Baird fundraiser

By John Kovach

Tickets will be on sale at six locations for the fundraiser slated Aug. 24 at the Chevrolet Centre.

YOUNGSTOWN — Tickets will be on sale at six locations for the Jason Baird hockey fundraiser Aug. 24 at the Chevrolet Centre.

The tickets, priced at $15 for adults and $10 for children, may be purchased at the Chevrolet Centre box office Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on-line now through www.ticketmaster.com.

They also will be available at four area outlets starting Monday: Play It Again Sports, 813 Boardman-Poland Road; Clear Channel Radio, 7461 South Ave, Boardman; Draught House, 219 West Federal Plaza, and Hometown Journal, 32 State St., office No. 201, Struthers.

Baird, 27, is a former Youngstown SteelHounds’ player who was burned over 60 percent of his body when a lawnmower he was driving exploded July 17 while working for a landscaping company in Austintown.

He is recovering at the Akron Children’s Hospital Burn Center.

Baird and his wife, Bethany, have three children. The fundraiser will help defray some of family’s medical expenses and other bills.

The highlight of the day will be an exhibition hockey game played between former and current NHL players and former Steelhounds and other minor league players that will begin at 3 p.m.

“The Chevrolet Centre will sell the tickets for the event. It will be a donation on their part,” said Kevin Kaminski, former SteelHounds’ coach and now coach of the Mississippi RiverKings of the CHL, who is leading the charge to hold the fundraiser and help the Baird family.

Kaminski also is one of the former NHL players who will play in the game. He played for the Washington Capitals.

Kaminski is appealing to the community to support the project.

“We need to put 6,000 people in this place and there is no reason that we can’t do it. We need help from the community. It is a good way for the community to back Jason and hockey for Youngstown,” said Kaminski.

A big donation also has been made by Jordan Klucinec of Canfield, owner of the Draught House who has donated $3,500 to pay for the ice for the game.

Besides Kaminski, seven other former and current NHL players have committed to play in the game, including five former Pittsburgh Penguins — Phil Bourque, Ken Wregget, Troy Loney, Mark Kachowski and Steve Poapst.

The other two are Mike Rupp, now with the NHL New Jersey Devils; and David Oilver, formerly with the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars.

Kaminski said Poapst and Adam Smith, the brother of SteelHounds’ player Matt Smith, are the latest players who have committed to play in the game. Poapst also played with the Washington Capitals, St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks. Adam Smith has played for Corpus Christi and Tulsa of the Central Hockey League.

Besides the exhibition game, also scheduled are three different kinds of fund-raising auctions, starting with Chinese and silent auctions that will begin when the doors open at 1:30 p.m. A live auction of the players’ jerseys will be held after the game, conducted by Basinger Auction Service.

Cindy Piedra, founder and president of the SteelHounds Boosters Club, said Joe Rulli of Basinger Auction Services has agreed to donate his services to auction off the players’ jerseys.

“They are coming in doing everything for nothing. They will come in and set up the auction in a professional manner,” said Piedra, who also is planning events for children like free face-painting and clowns.

She also said there will be no charge to park at the Chevrolet Centre, another contribution from the arena.

Piedra has been impressed by the generous response from the public and the NHL for requests of donated items to be used in the Chinese and silent auctions.

She said a silent auction was added to the schedule to increase the fund-raising potential, and that the boosters have been out in the community seeking donations for the auctions, and will do so until Aug. 15.

“The community is really coming out and supporting this project,” said Piedra. “We have hit 300 [business] places but not every one donated. Everyone won’t donate, but overall it’s a nice showing. The NHL is really stepping up.”

And when the event is over, “Everything we have will be sold and every cent will go to the Baird family.”

Piedra said items are pouring in for the auctions.

“We are getting a variety of stuff [for the silent auctions],” including tickets to Pittsburgh Pirates, Cleveland Indians and Youngstown State football and basketball games, as well as New York Rangers’ game at Madison Square garden “on the ice” and the NFL Hall of Fame, she said.

“We have a lot of NHL autographs,” said Piedra.

In addition, the Boosters also will provide Baird Backer buttons, rubber bracelets and hockey pucks for sale to raise additional funds, she said.

kovach@vindy.com