Before the game, and after playing a bit of street hockey, Peverley dropped the ceremonial puck. During the game the Stars donated proceeds from the 50/50 raffle to the American Heart Association. Red shirts were also on sale to benefit the organization, while the Stars used red stick tape in warmups to help raise awareness.
The Stars held a similar event last year and Peverley said it's been important to advocate for heart health.
"Last year was the initial first year and we didn't really know how it would go," Peverley said. "After seeing results and some of the things we're trying to do actually happen, it's makes it more and more worthwhile to do these events and try and raise money and get the word out on raising for defibrillators and AEDs and training of AEDs and CPR."
The Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League held a similar event last week in association with the Canadian Heart Association. In Guelph, funds raised by Peverley's organization helped train more than 400 people in proper CPR techniques and paid for a pair of donated defibrillators.
Another OHL team, the Kitchener Rangers, will host a Pevs Protects Night on Tuesday.
"It's been progressing great," Peverley said. "We've added a city, and we've had numerous cities reach out to us to do these events. We'll see where it goes, I have a job so I'm busy."
Peverley's new day job is as the player development coordinator for the Stars. He's based in Guelph, but also spends time with Stars prospects in the American Hockey League and makes two trips a season to Europe.
"I think he understands player development better than a lot of people that have been in those roles for a long time," Stars general manager Jim Nill said last week. "He had to work and earn everything in his playing career. So when he works with and talks to a young kid, it comes from a place of understanding."
