Pete Vandermeer.

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19) and Sheldon Spackman

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Mental health the focus of new Pete Vandermeer-led golf tournament

Aug 31, 2023 | 4:13 PM

Central Alberta’s Pete Vandermeer — a former Innisfail Eagle, Red Deer Rebel and current Red Deer Rustler — is launching a new golf tournament this September in hopes of raising awareness and funds for mental health.

The Pete Vandermeer & Friends Bench Clearing Brawl & Enforcer Appreciation Tournament goes Sept. 14 at Alberta Springs and could still use some participants.

Speaking to rdnewsNOW, Vandermeer elaborated on the organizations this event will benefit, the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA) Alumni Assistance Program, the Ty Pozzobon Foundation and The Mustard Seed.

“The Player Assistance Program looks after guys who played in the American league (AHL) and the East Coast league (ECHL) who’ve fallen through the cracks after getting done playing. The Ty Pozzobon Foundation does the same sort of deal for those in the professional rodeo world,” he says. “Then there’s The Mustard Seed which does so much for people here in central Alberta.”

The first is close to his heart as Vandermeer, who did play two games with the then Phoenix Coyotes in 2007-08, is a veteran of 663 AHL games, and 187 in the ECHL, regular season and playoffs combined.

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In those 852 total games, he amassed 4,008 penalty minutes, an average of 4.7 per game, and including many fighting majors.

“There are so many guys who played the game the way I did, played that role, and have had problems with mental health,” he added. “These guys have suffered with CTE or gotten into opiates to handle their injuries and went down a bad path. In the past year, we’ve had nine guys we’ve lost to various things. And guys have forever thought it was weak to reach out for help.”

As much as anything, Vandermeer says he’d like to alter that mentality.

The Ty Pozzobon Foundation, meantime, was created following the 2017 suicide death of Ty Pozzobon, whose autopsy confirmed that he suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is the same condition which has been at the heart of much debate around the impacts of fighting and headshots in the NHL and hockey overall.

Pozzobon, a highly regarded rodeo champion, was just 25 when he passed.

The upcoming tournament will feature hockey players, plus many very cool hockey-related prizes, and non-hockey ones, cocktails, a prime rib dinner, raffle and 50/50, among other things.

To get involved as a player or sponsor, call 403-896-2130 or 403-877-0105, or email vandermeerventures@gmail.com.