FAQ

Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer is a dawn-to-dusk road hockey event, taking place on Saturday, September 27, 2025 at the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre. Each team plays a minimum of four games through the course of an exciting day, and in-between, there will be food, beverages, entertainment, and other activities to keep participants engaged.

Anyone 16 or older can play. And all skill levels are encouraged to participate.

You never know who you’ll bump into, that’s part of the fun! Some NHL all-stars and celebrities have teams of their own and all the top fundraising teams will have the opportunity to draft an honourary captain from a pool of celebs!

We are fortunate to have an outstanding roster of sponsors supporting Road Hockey. Check out the full list on our homepage.

Your personal fundraising page is where you let people know why you chose to play. And can easily be shared with your contacts when asking for support. It also helps you keep track of who you’ve reached out to, how much you’ve raised and when your goals have been hit!

After registration, your page is automatically created. All you have to do is change the text and customize the photos to make it your own.

Hot Tip: Participants who take the time to customize their page generally raise 20% more than those who don’t.

You can register and join the ‘PMCF Free Agents’ team. Select ‘Register on an Existing Team’ when registering and search for ‘PMCF Free Agent'. All Free Agents must fundraise a minimum of $800.

All goalies must wear proper masks while guarding the net! But at a basic level, players require nothing more than supportive sneakers and a stick. However, you may find some other equipment handy, especially when it comes to safety. We strongly suggest the addition of mouth guards, helmets and gloves. Anything extra (shinpads, facepaint, etc.) is completely up to you! 

Your safety is a top priority. If injured, please have one of your teammates notify the nearest Pad supervisor. Our on-side medics or emergency personnel will be notified immediately.

No need to pack lunch, or any other meal for that matter. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be provided for all participants. Vegetarian options are available.

If you have concerns about meals or dietary restrictions, please reach out directly: roadhockey@thepmcf.ca

Your friends, family members, neighbours and colleagues are all welcome to come and cheer you on! Dogs are invited too, however, they must be leashed.

Team divisions will be shared on game day or sooner if available. Teams are grouped based on results from the divisional survey indicating skill levels.

We will do our best to accommodate special requests but not all requests are guaranteed.

Upon check-in, all team captains will receive game day kits for their team. Kits include: a schedule of events, a site map, two beer tickets for each (legal age) player, t-shirts and notice of any onsite giveaways.

There is a team minimum of $10,000 to participate. With 12 players per team, this works out to just over $800 per player.

Matching credit opportunities are provided throughout fundraising season, so be sure to keep an eye on all email communications and give your team an advantage!

If you fall a little short before game day, we will ask the captain to fill out a delayed fundraising form. This gives your team an additional 60 days to raise the minimum. If the fundraising minimum still isn’t achieved after 60 days, we notify the captain and charge the credit card on file for the balance. This ensures all teams are treated fairly before facing off.

The fundraising minimum is put in place as a bold but achievable goal to help raise funds for life-saving cancer research at The Princess Margaret. This minimum ensures that Road Hockey participants make the biggest impact possible. You can see the real impact of your fundraising dollars in our 2024 Road Hockey Impact Report and The PMCF Annual Report.

Unfortunately, the registration fee does not apply towards the fundraising minimum. However, it does help us to provide a safe and memorable event experience for all.

Absolutely! Our site was designed to quickly and securely accept donations. Plus, tax receipts are issued automatically for any gift above $15. Share your personal fundraising page with friends and family members so they can donate directly to the cause! 

When donating, your card number is sent to an online processing terminal through a secure connection. The number is then approved or denied. No credit card numbers are stored during this process.

All donations with a valid email address will automatically receive a tax receipt via email. If a donation is mailed in without an email address, tax receipts will be sent to the mailing address provided.

Yes! All players can allocate their fundraising dollars to a specific cancer site when completing registration.

Yes! Just mail in your cheque donation (we cannot accept cash). Each donation must have a completed donation form that has the Participant ID Number of the participant you are sponsoring. You can download a copy of the individual or team donation form. Please make sure to mail both items to the address indicated in the upper right corner of your donation form.

*Note: Do not mail in cash donations.

Yes, absolutely. The Captain’s Playbook features everything Captains will need to find success, including key dates, schedules, email templates, and goal lists.  To view our Captain’s Playbook, click here.

All participants, fans and volunteers are expected to exhibit good sportsmanship. Behaviours such as fighting, bullying, intimidation, intoxication etc., will not be tolerated and can result in immediate expulsion from the event and grounds without refund. Thank you for playing nice. 

Mandatory:

• Comfortable running shoes
• Hockey stick

Strongly Suggested:

• Back-up hockey stick
• Gloves
• Helmet

Optional:

• Extra socks, undergarments & t-shirt
• Elbow pads
• Shin pads
• Water bottle

Mandatory:

• Comfortable running shoes
• Goalie mask (or helmet with cage)
• Player/goalie stick

Strongly Suggested:

• Blocker & trapper
• Goalie pads
• Jock/Jill

Optional:

• Chest Pad
• Extra socks, undergarments & t-shirt
• Neck protector
• Water bottle

The policies of Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer, fuelled by Longo’s, will ensure the safety and enjoyment of participants. Safety is our top priority and we care deeply about the well-being of our players, game day crew and volunteers. As a participant, you play a role in not only your own safety, but in the safety of your fellow participants.

Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer is a fundraising event for cancer research – first and foremost. All participants are expected to exhibit good sportsmanship. Any behaviour such as fighting, bullying, intimidation, intoxication, etc. can result in immediate expulsion from the event and the grounds with no refunds.

1. Games are 25 minutes (run time) in length. If both teams agree to have a 5-minute intermission in between the game, they can communicate this to the referee who will ensure a break is given. There will be ample time for entrance/exit and warm-up all under the referee’s discretion.
2. Each team must have a minimum of 8 players and a maximum of 12 players.
3. Each game will be 3-on-3, plus one (1) goalie.
4. Each game (and second half) will commence with a face-off (“N-H-L” is preferred).
5. Players are allowed to substitute at any time. If too many players are on at one time; the referee has discretion to reward possession to the non-offending team or call a penalty shot on the offending team.
6. Due to tight timelines, there will be no substituting of goalies during a game. If a goalie is injured, then there may be a substitution, but the injured player may not return to play out of the net for that game.
7. When a goalie covers the ball, the opposing team must give sufficient space for the goalie to play the ball to one of his/her teammates to resume play.
8. If a ball leaves the playing surface, the referee will supply a new ball to the opposite team the ball last touched before going out of play. The team without the ball must give adequate space to the player receiving the ball from the referee.
9. After a goal is scored, the scoring team must retreat to at least half court while the other team retrieves the ball from the net. There are no face-offs after goals.
10. No slap shots allowed.
11. Tripping, slashing, and other penalties can be called at the discretion of the referee. The referee can award a penalty shot or possession of the ball to the other team depending on the severity of the penalty. Rules such as icing and offside will not be called.

Please note that Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer proceeds rain, shine, or sleet!

Princess Margaret Cancer Centre is one of the top five cancer research centres in the world. A leader in cancer research, patient care and a proud member of the University Health Network. More information about UHN can be found here: uhn.ca.

The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation (The PMCF) raises crucial funds for breakthrough research, exemplary education opportunities and compassionate care at The Princess Margaret. 
More information can be found at: thepmcf.ca

If your goal is to help conquer all cancers for good, select ‘Priority Cancer Discovery Fund’ when designating your funds upon registration. This will allow us to funnel your fundraising efforts into priority programs that our researchers and clinicians are working on now to improve the future of cancer care. 

30 years ago, we didn’t really know what cancer was or how to treat it. Today, because of research, we know that there are over 230 types, none of which are the same. Because of research, we now have effective screening programs and are finding cancer earlier. Because of research, we can diagnose rare and complex cancers. Because of research we can predict paths of metastasis, conduct clinical trials and offer life-changing treatment options that give families and friends real hope.  
 
Thanks to groundbreaking cancer research, patients all over the globe are living longer, healthier lives but these critical advances can take years, sometimes decades, to develop and test. Costing millions. We know we must keep the momentum going, but the only way to do that is with more funding. Why not play with thousands of others who feel the same? 

The funds raised through Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer directly support over 1,300 researchers and scientists at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. To see how donations like yours support breakthroughs in cancer research and care, please read our 2023 Impact Report.

The Canadian Centre for Philanthropy suggest a 50% return as an acceptable guideline for events of this size. However, Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer strives to return a minimum of 65%.

All budgets and financials are approved by the Board of Directors of The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. You can find the most recent annual report at: thepmcf.ca.