VANCOUVER – NHL Green has partnered with TeamSnap (www.teamsnap.com) to collect used hockey equipment from fans prior to the 2014 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic. Before the puck drops between the Ottawa Senators and Vancouver Canucks on Sunday, March 2, the parking lot outside the Plaza of Nations will transform into the 2014 Canadian Tire NHL Spectator Plaza. All fans are encouraged to visit the NHL Green presented by TeamSnap activation at Spectator Plaza and drop-off their used hockey gear in the one-of-a-kind equipment donation net. Donated items will be delivered by the NHL to HEROS Hockey in Vancouver, a charitable organization dedicated to empowering children through ice hockey. HEROS is a member of the NHL’s Hockey is for Everyone program, which uses hockey as a way to support education, build self-esteem, and develop life skills. Equipment donations will be accepted during the operating hours of Spectator Plaza (Sunday, March 2 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.). Accepted items include helmets, shoulder pads, elbow pads, hockey pants, shin pads, gloves, skates and sticks. The first 500 individuals to make an equipment donation will receive a roll of green hockey tape, courtesy of TeamSnap. TeamSnap, an award-winning service used by 5 million+ people around the world to manage their sports teams, activities, groups and organizations, is committed to making youth hockey more accessible and easier to manage. “This is a perfect example of TeamSnap’s passion for sports. With this partnership, we are calling on our users to give their old gear a second life,” said Ken McDonald, Vice President of Customer Acquisition at TeamSnap. “By donating equipment, not only will fans be keeping these materials from entering landfills prematurely, but they will be offering local at-risk youth the opportunity to learn and play the game of hockey.” As part of the partnership, TeamSnap is surprising eight local youth hockey teams, totaling over 200 players and coaches, with the opportunity to attend the 2014 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic. NHL Green first launched the “Recycle the Game” program with non-profit Restore Hockey in 2012. Since that time, the initiative has resulted in the collection, refurbishment and redistribution of more than 500 pieces of hockey equipment to local community programs.