Wild goalie Josh Harding is raising awareness about breast cancer and helping to generate money for research. Tonight from 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. he and teammate Derek Boogaard will be at Xcel Energy Center to sign autographs for fans attending the Minnesota Swarm-Toronto Rock lacrosse game.
A $5 donation to “Fund the Fight” is requested from each autograph seeker and because room in the autograph line is limited it’s suggested that fans arrive by 6 p.m. Fans can also purchase a special “Fund the Fight” $10 ticketto the game.
Harding’s sister Stephanie, 26, from Regina, Saskatchewan, was diagnosed with breast cancer about three months ago. There had been no cancer in the Harding family and the diagnosis startled Josh. “Growing up as a kid I never thought about it,” Josh said during a recent interview. “Now I am starting to learn a little more about breast cancer. …”
To help generate funds for breast cancer research Harding has established a Web site, www.fundthefight.com. At Wild games he’s wearing a custom made mask featuring pink ribbons and the words “Fund the Fight, Find a Cure.” He will auction off his mask on the Web at season’s end. Other hockey memorabilia is available now for auction.
“She will get through this,” Harding said. “She has a lot of support from everybody else. Just hopefully they caught it (the cancer) soon enough and they can get rid of it.”
Harding, 22, is in his rookie season with the Wild and has been a backup. He has a 2-0-1 record, with a 0.66 GAA and a .978 save percentage.
He was a second round draft choice of the Wild in 2002.