In NHL.com's Q&A feature called "Sitting Down with …" we talk to figures in the game, gaining insight into their lives on and off the ice. In this edition, we feature Harry Hudson, a recording artist and cancer survivor who has partnered with the Nashville Predators to help teens and young adults battle cancer.
Harry Hudson moved to Nashville on Nov. 18. He threw his bags in his new apartment and ran to Bridgestone Arena to attend his first NHL game, and as he watched the Nashville Predators host the Chicago Blackhawks, he became hooked -- by the game, by the community, by the cause.
It was Hockey Fights Cancer Night.
Hudson isn't just a recording artist who's tight with celebrities like Justin Bieber, Kylie Jenner and Jaden Smith. He's a cancer survivor.
Helped by Jenner and Teen Cancer America, a charity founded by Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who, Hudson created a lounge for teens and young adults at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt University in Nashville in 2021.
Suddenly, he started going to Predators games regularly. He even lobbied Bieber, the celebrity captain for Team Matthews at the 2024 NHL All-Star Game in Toronto on Feb. 3, to select Predators forward Filip Forsberg in the NHL All-Star Player Draft on Feb. 1.
"When we met Harry, it was like a breath of fresh air," said Rebecca King, Predators vice president of community relations. "We found someone who had a passion for the same hospital that we do and a desire to help the kids, and he got to witness our impact and learn about what we do.
"And then he was in. He was like, 'All right. Let's do something. Let's figure out a collaboration. Let's raise more money.'"
When the Predators hosted the St. Louis Blues on April 4, they held their second Hockey Fights Cancer Night of the season. The NHL donated $25,000 to the 365 Pediatric Cancer Fund presented by Twice Daily, which was launched by Predators icons Pekka Rinne and Shea Weber in 2013-14 and works with Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital to raise funds and awareness for cancer research.
Hudson officially launched his charity, Hey, I'm Here For You, which is named for his second album. He personally greeted fans who bought special hats and beanies with the charity and team logos. The proceeds go to the Nashville Predators Foundation, which will split them 50-50 between the lounge and 365 Fund.
"The fact that I get to do something I love with a team I love in a sport that I love, that is kind of like a full-circle moment for me," Hudson said. "It's hard to process. I'm still trying to find words because it still doesn't seem real. I've got to pinch myself, you know?"
NHL.com talked to the 30-year-old about his journey, his partnership with the Predators and how he lobbied Bieber to select Forsberg.
You found out you had Stage 3 Hodgkin's lymphoma the week you turned 20 and underwent treatment for about two years. How did that inspire you to create the lounge and your charity?
"I remember my first chemo, my doctor was like, 'I'm going to have someone talk to you that's near your age to explain his experience.' And his experience was tragic. He was telling me, 'I just beat it, but it was the most lonely experience I've ever had. I had no family or friends around because everyone was in college or working. I didn't have the resources and the tools I needed to feel good about myself.' Right away, I was like, 'I don't want to do that. I don't want to feel [like that] because that's not fun.'
"During treatment, I remember being like, 'I need to create a space where kids or individuals that are the same age or the same interest can hang out together.' I was 20 doing chemo with 65-, 50-, 80-year-olds. The age gap was so drastic. I wanted to build something where kids felt safe and seen.
"I was like, 'How can I come in and be like a Santa Claus?' I say it's like the fun uncle, the 'funcle.' Everyone's doing so much work there. It's like, 'How can I relieve some stress from these parents and these kids, take their mind off something so serious?'
"I always tell this story: My first day of chemo, I sat next to this woman, and she's like, 'What do you love to do?' And I was like, 'I love to make music.' She grabs my hand, and she's like, 'Harry, would you die for music?' And was like, 'What does that mean?' I sat down for, like, five minutes thinking, and then I was like, 'Yes. Yes, I would die for music because it's my lifeline. It's the best way I can communicate. It brings me joy and peace.' It gave me hope. It gave me hope in the sense that it's bigger than me.
"And so, it was like, 'Yes, I would die for music.' It was my escape. I think music heals a lot of people. And she was like, 'Harry, no matter how sick and tired and awful you feel, always put music before cancer.' I took that advice to heart. The more I did that, I wanted to fight more for my life, because I was like, 'Wait. I want to tour the world. I want to make an album. I want to help people and touch hands and look at people that are going through the same things that I am and say, Hey, it's going to be OK.'"
How does the lounge help teens and young adults? Give us a tour.
"You take a 14-year-old kid out of high school. They have no idea who they want to be. They were just at football practice yesterday, and now they're fighting for their life in a hospital. They don't know who to talk to or don't have resources, and so I can come in and kind of guide the kids. We provide resources and tools for kids to find passion, and I believe passion leads to purpose. Music led me here, and I think it's helping other kids find their 'music' and see what they want to do in life.
"It's light, it's colorful, and it's very comfortable. There are two TVs that have all the games and everything you can watch. There's an art center. There's a meditation room, which is my favorite room. It changes through sunrises and sunsets, like, these colors that are really pretty. It's a space where two kids or one kid can close their door, and you can't hear anything, and it's soundproof. I think meditation is a huge part of just allowing yourself to just heal and be by yourself, because there's so many beeps and movements and kids and crying and things going on in the hospitals.
"Some inpatients can't leave. It's kind of crazy, right? (It's important) just to have a space where you can be like, 'I'm just going to go into this room,' and you can watch TV, or you can meditate."
What has it meant to have support from friends and to partner with the Predators?
"I just want to help kids. I've been through what they've been through, and I understand that feeling, and so I think I'm just laser focused until I can actually truly make a difference in these kids' lives -- a big one.
"Just to have the support just feels really good on my heart and my soul, just to know I'm not alone and people actually want to get behind it, because what it stands for is bigger than anybody. We're actually moving the needle and making a difference and talking to the kids and being present with that. Just being transparent with everything we're doing. It's been special, and my friends all have my back, so it's just only going to grow."
What has hooked you on hockey in Nashville?
"This has become my favorite sport in the world, and I'm addicted.
"There's a band stage. During the intermissions, they bring artists out, local artists or big artists. You just don't know what you're going to get. There's so much going on that's bigger than the game, and they highlight so many important things going on in the community. That drew me in right away, and I was like, 'I want to be a part of this. I want to be part of the community.'
"Since [Nov. 18], I've probably been to every game. A lot of my friends are getting involved. I'm taking a lot of friends who have never seen a hockey game. It's been really special. I think from then to now, it feels like home, seeing the Predators play and slowly getting connected to the players on the team. It's just a good city and good team, but yeah, I think atmosphere is something I've never been a part of.
"I took my mom (Susan) to her first game last week. She's the best, and she was just addicted. By the end of the game, she was singing every chant. She was going, 'You [stink]!' The whole thing. I was like, 'Mom, what is happening?' She couldn't stop talking about it. Everybody I've taken to a game so far who haven't been, they're like, 'I love this sport.'"
OK. Tell us the story of how you lobbied Bieber to select Forsberg in Toronto.
"Well, obviously, I wanted to go support Justin, because that's a huge deal, what he did. The All-Star Game was a dream for him as a kid, so that was cool to see him manifest that into reality. Probably 30 of us, all of our close friends, came to support that.
"I was telling him, like, 'There's a Nashville player. We love him. You need to have him on your team. It only makes sense.' And so, like, I was texting him when he was down there (on the ice at Scotiabank Arena). I'm like, 'Please, I'm crossing my fingers that no one takes Forsberg.' And then, like, two seconds later, Justin called him. We were texting the whole day. He was like, 'I got your guy.'
"And then Forsberg ended up helping them win that All-Star Game (with three goals and two assists in the 3-on-3 tournament). It was cool to see. Everybody was super hyped. Everybody in our suite was going crazy for Filip."
So you were, like, the secret celebrity general manager for Team Matthews?
"Yeah. Yeah, exactly. 'This is the right pick.'"
