Woody’s Hoodies scoring for cancer research

Like many, Windsor Spitfires' defenceman Carson Woodall is no stranger to cancer.

“My grandma passed away from breast cancer and my other grandma right now has ovarian cancer,” said the 17 year old who first created ‘Woody’s Hoodies’ with his dad during the pandemic. “Just during quarantine and me and my dad were like, ‘Let’s just make something for fun.’”

The Belle River native brought Woody's Hoodies to his teammates in Toronto when hockey returned and then to LaSalle last season when he played for the Vipers.

After seeing the effects of cancer on his grandmothers, Woodall and his dad tweaked the design, making a customizable line specifically for cancer awareness and to raise funds for research.

“My day is great compared to what they had to go through so I'm doing my part and you can help me help them,” said Woodall, directing people to his website. 

The initiative hit close to home for a couple of his teammates.

“Personally, I have my grandpa right now. He has cancer,” said rookie forward Cole Davis.

Captain Liam Greentree has also been affected, “I’ve known a lot of people that have been affected by cancer, especially breast cancer. I think it’s really cool what he’s doing.”

Carson wears #24 for the Windsor Spitfires and 24 per cent of the sale of the hoodie will go towards cancer research in our community through Play for a Cure.

“I was really excited when Carson reached out to me about supporting Play for a Cure with proceeds from his hoodies. It shows a lot of character,” said Play for a Cure Founder Jeff Casey.

Heading into its fourth year, Play for a Cure is a unique hockey experience that has helped raise $1.2 million towards collaborative cancer research in the Windsor-Essex region.

Alongside with other organizations in town, Play for a Cure is helping fund a triple negative breast cancer fresh tissue clinical trial in our community.

“That's in partnership with the Marathon of Hope, Cancer Centre Network, which is the fundraising supporting arm of the Terry Fox Foundation,” said Casey who announced Woody's Hoodies as sponsor of the Play For A Cure's shootout event.

The event goes April 19 at the Vollmer Complex in LaSalle featuring YouTube hockey stars Zack Bell and Pavel Barber, along with local junior and minor hockey teams.

“It's going to be a great time,” said Casey.