The NHL may not have a Winter Classic this season, but the spirit that the annual outdoor game is supposed to embody is alive and well. On Dec. 23, youth teams from New Jersey and Long Island will converge on Central Park in New York to play a game to benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy.

The best part? It was the kids who came up with it.

The NHL's Florida Panthers even took the opportunity to practice at the facility last December. (AP Photo)

“The kids who I coach were upset about what’s happening (with the NHL) and wondering what they could do on their own,” said Tom Duhamel, the coach of the North Jersey Avalanche. “They wanted to play an outdoor game and sort of got started from there.”

In an area without a lot of outdoor rinks, finding a place to play was a challenge. Central Park emerged as the best option, but there still was the matter of arranging for the ice time. That was when a nice idea turned into a fantastic one.

“The kids, they’re 8, but they were wondering how to get ice and pay for it,” Duhamel said. “There was a little blurb in the New York Post on the kids wanting to do this and being willing to pay for it themselves. At that point, (hockey equipment maker) CCM picked up on it and wanted to get involved. They offered that, if kids raised money for the hurricane—all of this happened kind of around the hurricane—they said if the kids were willing to try to raise some money for the hurricane, they would be willing to jump in and match whatever the kids raise.”

In addition to matching charitable donations, CCM stepped in to assume the cost of putting on the game, although once the folks at Lasker Rink heard what was going on, they decided to donate the ice time. That means all of the money involved in the game will be going to Help USA’s Hurricane Sandy fund.

And for the kids, there is proof that no good deed goes unrewarded, as CCM will give a new stick to each player. It’s a clever way for the company to get the word out about its youth line and “Start Your Legend” campaign, sure, but the important thing here is doing the right thing to help disaster victims and give some kids a memory that will last a lifetime.

“As much support as we can give to them, we will,” said Glen Thornborough, the chief marketing officer of CCM Hockey. “We want to help kids of that age activate something that they created through their goodwill. … It’s also helping them to understand that their goodwill toward the tragedy with Sandy is a good thing. It’s the concept of greater good, all in the giving spirit around the holidays.”

Much like the Winter Classic started as a one-time experiment for the NHL and became an annual tradition after a successful debut, Thornborough added that he could see his company supporting something similar to this Central Park game in the future. While there does not figure to be a hurricane on the East Coast every year, there will always be good causes to support.

“If we can be part of these kind of initiatives where kids get to play outside, and get back to the grass roots of what hockey is all about, it’s fun for us to play in that territory,” Thornborough said. “It makes a difference with the kids, and obviously with the charity side of it. Growing the game is one of the responsibilities that we have as a company, because it is a fantastic sport, and we want as many people to partake in it as possible.”

The kids from the North Jersey Avalanche think it’s such a great sport, they couldn’t wait to play outside. They’ll get to do that, and use hockey for a good cause at the same time.