Fort Worth Visit

NHL Referee David Banfield Visits Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas on behalf of the Hoffen Foundation and Zebra Cares Program.

During a busy travel schedule, right in the middle of a busy season, Referee David Banfield added one more stop to this Itinerary with a visit to another building with his sweater in hand. This time there was no sheet of ice, although the players were just as committed to winning their battles as any NHL player.

David added a visit to Cook’s Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth the day before his February assignment in Dallas. Pulling a wagon load of hats, toys, blankets, pucks and other NHL souvenirs donated by the Zebra Cares program of the NHL Referee’s Association and the Hoffen Foundation, David joined local NHL off-ice official Tim Zemens [Hoffen Foundation Director] for a one on one visit with young fans.

Visiting the 3rd floor wing with oncology patients and those with blood disorders, David went from room to room introducing many to hockey, answering questions about the game of hockey or his chosen career. The laughs and smiles came quick and easy for both David and the patients. One of the first questions asked of David was: “How old were you when you lost your teeth?” He smiled and first confirmed that yes he did loose his front teeth when he was nine years old. He then added “It was in a baseball game when I was accidently hit with a ball!” . Not quite the answer the fourteen year old girl was expecting.

Another patient, a five year old girl gave a vivid smile just under the oxygen tube that ran beneath her nose. She laughed with her cousin when David introduced himself. She was a patient going through treatment a year or so earlier when an NHL official came to visit. Her grandmother informed us that an official came by once before and she had fun with the official by not telling him her real name when he was signing a puck for her. That official was Gord Dwyer on a visit he had done the previous season. David not to be outdone, put NHL sweaters on both girls for pictures and made sure that he gave them grins, laughter, and more goodles, so as not to be one upped by his on ice colleague.

Tim and David would joke with the kids and tell them to be sure and watch the game the next evening to see who would get more camera time, Tim in the penalty box or David with his on ice calls. For a short time, the kids got a peak into the NHL and their minds taken off the battles they wage on a daily basis. A big thanks goes out to David Banfield for his compassion and time. The kids loved it, the parents appreciated it.

Tim Zemens, a Time Out Coordinator for the National Hockey League in Dallas, started the Hoffen Foundation while officiating in the Central Hockey League. It was there that he was privileged to skate with David Banfield and Gord Dwyer while they gained experience on their quest to the NHL.