VIDEO: NHL favourites 'pitch in' to support JoeAnna's House

The second annual Gorges-Comeau HOMEBASE Charity Slo-Pitch Tournament kicked off on Friday night in a packed Elks Stadium.

Sparked by the desire to give back to their community, hometown heroes Josh Gorges and Blake Comeau, joined forces with the Kelowna General Hospital last year to bring Kelowna a weekend of fun and philanthropy — all the while raising funds for a worthy cause.

Hosted in support of the KGH’s JoeAnna’s House campaign, funds raised through ticket sales, merchandise, an online 50/50 and generous donations will support the ongoing operations of the facility that will open its doors by the end of this year.

To celebrate the sophomore year of the event, over 20 beloved NHLers pitched in including Curtis Lazar, Shea Weber and Brayden Schenn traded their skates for cleats and sticks for bats at the annual All-Star match.

Far from your typical game of ball, the participating athletes and community leaders made sure to make fun their top priority.

Regularly cracking jokes at the expense of each other, encouraging crowd interaction and letting their competitive nature take hold — the teams kept their fans entertained from the very first pitch.

To keep spirits high and the total number of funds raised even higher the popular home run challenge made a triumphant return.

For each home run hit an additional donation went into the pot. Our own Rockets alumni Shea Weber had fans off their feet as he hit more than three home runs.

Not only did those on the bleachers have a chance to see their favourite hockey heroes in a unique setting but they had the opportunity to meet them!

Prior to the game, the guys sat down for an autograph session, happily meeting their Okanagan fans.

Despite a drizzly start, fans and players alike stuck it out to take in the game and show their support to the families who will utilize the home away from home found at JoeAnna’s House.

Click here for more photos!