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Overwhelmed…

Shannon is a fixture in the Denver hockey community as a long time hockey player and an official photographer for the Denver University Pioneers hockey team. Tragically, Shannon’s husband Steven passed away last summer after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Shannon and Steven are both Native Americans and met at a pow wow in South Dakota years ago. Steven was very active in the Denver hockey community, both as a coach and a player including coaching the Denver University Women’s Club hockey team for a time.

After Steven’s passing, Shannon has been left with substantial bills including hospice care and funeral costs. She is making payments on these but they do overwhelm her.

Please join Dawg Nation in supporting Shannon by donating to the effort to assist her with these expenses and help her get her life back in order.

Dawg Nation will collect all funds donated and determine the final amount provided to the recipient. Dawg Nation cannot guarantee that the full amount of your donation will reach the recipient. That said, Dawg Nation has historically provided final amounts to recipients in excess of the total amount of funds collected.

A rare bone cancer…

In July 2019, Bob was diagnosed with Myelofibrosis Triple Negative/Myelodysplastic Syndrome.

Bob’s love for the game of hockey is truly unmatched. He’s been involved in the game for the past 50 plus years as both a player and a coach with nearly all of that time being spent in the Arvada community.

Up until his diagnosis, Bob was an avid adult league player. Playing in both the Apex Adult League and Promenade Adult League and is still helping coach the Ralston Valley Varsity Hockey team (which he has been a part of for the past 4 years).

The disease

Myelofibrosis Triple Negative is a rare bone cancer affecting about 16,000 people in the US, in which scar tissue forms in the bone marrow and impairs its ability to produce normal blood cells. Triple Negative means that all blood cell types are affected. In Bob’s case he has a very high white blood cell count and his red blood cells and platelets are low.

Myelodysplastic Syndrome is a group of disorders which when all grouped together lead to acute Myeloid leukemia.

A bone marrow transplant is needed.

Bob’s ‘mutated cells’ are currently ‘blasting’ which means they are progressing rapidly. He will undergo 2 rounds of intense chemotherapy in an attempt to lower and control the ‘blasting’ so that a Bone Marrow Transplant can be performed.

Let’s rally to make sure that Bob can overcome these obstacles with OUR help.

Dawg Nation will collect all funds donated and determine the final amount provided to the recipient. Dawg Nation cannot guarantee that the full amount of your donation will reach the recipient. That said, Dawg Nation has historically provided final amounts to recipients in excess of the total amount of funds collected.

“It’s not about what team you play for, it’s about being able to play the great game of hockey.”

Being diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer has barely slowed down player, coach and referee Andy Finney. You can still find him 4 days a week, at the rink, coaching this years BVSD Centaurus High School team. Being a coach for over a decade is a passion that he refuses to give up regardless of his diagnosis and how terrible he is feeling after chemo treatments. His passion and commitment to youth hockey and to the hockey community has been steadfast and long lasting.

Finney is a Minnesota boy, he grew up playing hockey on the frozen ponds by his house. Outdoor rinks were plentiful in the cold Minnesota winters and pick up games were easy to find! Finney’s love of hockey followed him to Colorado after college. Finney became an avid and involved “Beer League” player – playing in multiple leagues and tournaments across the Front Range.

A true “rink rat” he began sharing and installing his love of the game by becoming a youth hockey coach at Boulder Hockey Club and the Boulder Y. With over a decade of coaching experience, he has coached every level from Mite to High School. Besides instilling the same love and passion he has for the game in each player he has coached, he is proud of the individual connection that he established with his players. Being a mentor to student athletes is a number 1 priority for Andy. He believes that the game of hockey provides a great opportunity not only to teach the game of hockey to these young men or women, but also to teach good sportsmanship, and strong character development.

Finney’s continued love of the game drove him to become a youth hockey referee five years ago. Being a ref is a thankless job, but Finney never missed an opportunity to have a “teaching moment” with a player or remind a player that hockey should be a fun game!

Finney’s entire family has been influenced by his love of hockey! His two sons, Max and Jordan both played for Boulder Hockey Club, his daughter Serena can explain the difference between a back check and a fore-check without thinking about it and his wife, Gina aka DJ Gina, played music at many of the games.

Chances are if you had a youth player in a front range league in the last decade, you have come in contact with Andy Finney. He is fighting his diagnosis with the same passion and commitment that he has brought to hockey.

Andy has a long journey ahead of him. Andy & his family are tackling his Pancreatic Cancer from all corners of the rink! Unfortunately some of the treatments are not covered by insurance and the costs add up quickly.

Please consider donating to Andy today – we want to get him back on the ice full-time.

Dawg Nation will collect all funds donated and determine the final amount provided to the recipient. Dawg Nation cannot guarantee that the full amount of your donation will reach the recipient. That said, Dawg Nation has historically provided final amounts to recipients in excess of the total amount of funds collected.