·         By John Vogl  – Buffalo News, Sept. 7, 2016

Pat LaFontaine, Pele, Roger Federer and Yao Ming are sports icons capable of headlining any event they attend. Yet when they come together next month for a historic global conference, the most well-known participant will be a man who’s never scored a goal, won a Grand Slam or appeared in the Olympics.

The event leader will be Pope Francis, who can transfix a packed stadium with a simple wave of his hand.

The pope, however, is aware athletes also have legions of followers, so he has invited a select few to the Vatican for the first global conference on faith and sport. The three-day event, titled “Sport at the Service of Humanity,” will bring together 150 athletes and executives from different religions and countries to discuss how faith and sport can work together to promote positive values, inspire youth and better serve humanity. Continue reading »

One for the Ages: A Tribute to Bill Benson

When Bill Benson passed away on July 16^th at the tender age of 97, the Runner’s Edge Main Street Mile race committee made the decision to honor him at the 12^thannual event. Bill had been a long-time participant in the event and had a great fan in Pat LaFontaine.  

The hockey hall of Famer said, “Bill represented a spirit and enthusiasm that was contagious. He participated in almost 1,000 road races in his life and always made the people around him feel better.”

At this year’s finish on September 3^rd in Farmingdale, the inaugural “Bill Benson Award” was presented to 89-year-old Bert Jablon as the oldest finisher of the race. We know that Bill Benson was smiling on us all. Continue reading »

By KARA YORIO   STAFF WRITER |  The Record

The room was getting increasingly crowded, but 12-year-old Ahtziri Garcia and her brother didn’t notice. They were busy playing with a new XBox console, laughing and competing against each other at Monday’s official opening of the Lion’s Den interactive playroom at the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center.

The Lion’s Den rooms provide patients like Garcia with computers, televisions and Xbox consoles and allows the kids to not only play with others in the room, but connect and communicate with the outside world. The rooms are the work of Companions in Courage, the foundation of NHL Hall of Famer Pat LaFontaine, who played for the Rangers, Islanders and Buffalo Sabres over his 15-year career. Continue reading »

In 2014, 18-year-old Jackson Krase and his dad, Scott, led a team of 15 to the summit of Africa’s 19,000-foot Mount Kilimanjaro in a fundraising effort for Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital. In doing so, the group raised more than $55,000.  As per Jackson’s request, the monies were used to refurbish the original Lion’s Den, opened at the hospital in 2004.

On May 21st, Pat LaFontaine was joined by Brenda Fareri, Dr. Michael Gewitz, Physician-in-Chief at MFCH and Michael Israel of Westchester Medical Center. Here is how Fios-1 covered the story http://www.fios1news.com/lowerhudsonvalley/node/75566#.VWR8tIdOXct. Continue reading »