Saturday in Hudson, former Wisconsin Badger and current Los Angeles Kings defenseman Davis Drewiske hosted the first annual
3-on-3 hockey fundraiser to benefit Huntington's.
Eau Claire native Jake Dowell's family has been directly impacted by HD, as his father John and brother Luke both have Huntington's and Jake who plays for the Chicago Blackhawks has a fifty-percent chance of carrying the gene as well.
Drewiske and several of his former Wisconsin teammates including Dowell, Robbie Earl, Brian Elliot, and Tom Gilbert were on hand, giving back to more than 150 youth hockey players from Western Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Huntington's Disease is an inherited brain disorder that affects a person's cognitive ability or mobility. HD slowly diminishes an individuals ability to walk, think, talk, and reason. Everyone who carries the HD disease causing gene will develop HD at some point in their lifetime.
Davis says it was a great day, all for a good cause.
Davis Drewiske/Los Angeles Kings Defenseman: "We wanted to do something for a while now for Huntington's Disease, helping the Dowell family and helping research for HDSA and I'm just excited how this thing came together, really happy everyone turned out. The first year is always the toughest to work out all the kinks and figure out how everything goes so hopefully it gets easier for us from here on out and we can get a bigger and bigger response from the community."
Jake Dowell/Chicago Blackhawks Forward: "More awareness that is raised, obviously the more money that is raised, the closer they can come to finding a cure, I think they're finally getting closer now, it's such an easy way to raise awareness with bringing in people that are in the public eye once in a while, just guys kids want to skate with, just an easy way to use that to raise more awareness."

All proceeds from Saturday's hockey benefit will go directly to the Huntington's Disease Society of America.