Even in retirement, Fiddler still shows competitive drive for a cause

There's a great scene in the movie "It's a Wonderful Life" ...
Actually, there are a lot of great scenes, but this one carries the message of the film the best. It's where George Bailey has returned to his house to find the bank examiner and police ready to arrest him for the $8,000 shortage in deposits. His wife, Mary, bursts in with Uncle Billy, and the entire town pours into the house to offer George financial help.

"They scattered all over town collecting money," Uncle Billy said. "They didn't ask any questions. They said, 'If George is in trouble, count me in.'"
Vern Fiddler is a lot like George Bailey.
The retired Stars player still does a lot of work with the Dallas Stars Foundation, and his charity of choice is the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Fiddler's sister Erin died of leukemia when he was young, and he has used his platform as an NHL player to help raise funds to battle against blood cancer during a career that spanned 15 years and ended last September.
And while it would be perfectly fine to go into retirement on his charity work, as well, Fiddler decided this year to step things up. He joined in the friendly competition for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's North Texas Man or Woman of the Year, and he won.
It's no wonder why -- he is, after all, George Bailey.
Christa Melia, the Player Relations Manager for the Stars, helped Fiddler set up his golf tournament, and that's no small task. There are countless loose ends that need to be tied up and, and about a hundred favors that need to be called in to pull something like this off. But Melia said the power of Fiddler and his wife Chrissy opened a lot of doors.
"Everyone was so nice and so helpful, and it was literally because of the Fiddlers," Melia said. "There was so much support from friends, neighbors, businesses, just everybody."
If Vern needed help, nobody asked any questions. The golf tournament raised about $100,000, but Fiddler wanted to hit a goal of $150,000, so he took to social media and made a few appearances on television, and he finally topped that mark as the contest ended. He said the competitive drive to be "Man of the Year" created a fun race, but added that the real winner is the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: [Fiddler enjoying time away from hockey after hanging up skates]
"I am pretty competitive, so that played a part, but it was also just a neat way to raise money," Fiddler said. "I think we all enjoyed it."
Fiddler said he will continue to beat the drum, because the Society is making a lot of progress in battling the disease. New medications and treatment techniques are allowing patients to win their fights against blood cancers, and that message is pretty powerful.
"If they would have had this research 40 years ago, I truly believe my sister would be alive," Fiddler said. "So when you can see a patient who gets treatment and responds so quickly, it's incredible. You want to do everything you can to keep the research going."
Former teammate Marty Turco,
the President and Chairman of the Board of the Dallas Stars Foundation
, said it was a joy to watch Fiddler stir up interest on social media as the deadline neared.
"He worked his butt off as a player, and he worked his butt off here," Turco said. "I don't think he wanted the attention so much as he wanted to use whatever he could to raise the money. It was a cool ride, and it was fun to watch him share it with others."
Fiddler gives a lot of credit to his parents Bob and Patricia for pointing him in the right direction when it comes to charitable causes, and he's trying to do the same thing with his kids, Blake and Bella.
"I learned so much from my dad and how he treated people," Fiddler said of growing up in Edmonton. "If people needed a car or money, he was there for them. I think you always want to pass on the things your parents taught you."
And Fiddler continues to do that.
"I think when you look at how hard he worked, an undrafted player who had to fight his way up through the minors, he's always been very grateful for that," Turco said of Fiddler's climb to become an NHL player.
"He's got a wonderful circle around him, and they really came through for him. That says a lot about the kind of guy he is."
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.
Read more: Dallas Stars Foundation, Vernon Fiddler, Marty Turco, Dallas Stars