Sonnet Insurance is once again collaborating with the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) on another hockey-themed initiative – this time, to help young players connect with their favourite professional players.

The insurer and the player union – through the NHLPA’s Goals & Dreams fund – launched a new program called “Everyone Deserves a Team.” Hosted by Sportsnet’s David Amber, “Everyone Deserves a Team” is a series of virtual meet-and-greets that connect young players with current star hockey players like Patrice Bergeron, Zach Hyman, Darnell Nurse, Sarah Nurse, and Matthew Tkachuk.

The virtual meetups were being produced in partnership with two Canadian youth hockey programs: the Hockey Education Reaching Out Society (HEROS) /SuperHeros and Hockey 4 Youth programs. Thanks to their support, Sonnet and NHLPA held six “Everyone Deserves a Team” meetups in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal.

On top of hosting the virtual meetups, the initiative saw Sonnet and NHLPA donate brand-new equipment to local youth hockey programs in the six provinces. Former NHL player and current Sonnet brand ambassador Doug Gilmour was present during the events to gift the equipment to the young players.

“As players, we are proud of our NHLPA Goals & Dreams fund. Having Sonnet recognize that and join us in giving back to young hockey players is incredible,” said NHLPA member Zach Hyman.

“We are thrilled that Sonnet has joined us in supporting grassroots hockey initiatives through our NHLPA Goals & Dreams fund,” added NHLPA senior director, marketing and community relations Devin Smith. “Coming together during these unprecedented times to continue to give young people across Canada the chance to play hockey is something that we are extremely proud of.”

“We’re inspired by the work of the NHLPA Goals & Dreams fund and proud to amplify its efforts to help well-deserving youth play hockey, especially in this uncertain and challenging time,” commented Sonnet Insurance VP of marketing Brian Long. “By bringing together the best of the hockey community, we’re honoured to play a part in ensuring that these young players have the chance to live their hockey dreams.”

Read more: Sonnet teams up with National Hockey League Players’ Association

Sonnet’s partnership with the NHLPA goes as far back as 2017. Since then, the two organizations collaborated on a series of hockey-themed ad campaigns for the insurer.