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The shot handcuffed the goalie and trickled over the line as his teammates erupted, embracing each other and slamming their sticks. Beaming, Sullivan turned to his family and friends banging on the boards before being mobbed by the new champions of their local New York men鈥檚 league.

鈥淎 tremendous moment of him delivering for the team,鈥� said Dave Phelan, who was a part of that 2017 championship squad.

鈥淗e was like an incredible sportsman.鈥�

Those who knew Sullivan most say it鈥檚 moments like those 鈥� full of joy, humility and quiet leadership 鈥� that define who he was.

Sullivan died in a swimming accident in northeastern Ontario in August. He was 38. He鈥檚 survived by his wife Katie, sons Wyatt and Casey, sister Hilary, parents Brian and Carol, and an endless circle of friends.

Yet, his death isn’t how Katie wanted her husband鈥檚 story to end.

Inspired by his lifelong love for hockey, she and over 30 others, including Phelan,听have听organized the first 鈥� a charity recreational hockey tournament they hope becomes an annual tradition 鈥� to honour his legacy. The tournament will be held on Saturday at Upper Canada College’s rink, where Sullivan went to school and played hockey, involving eight teams and around 130 players travelling from across North America and Europe.听

Soon after his death, amid an outpouring of听food, flowers and messages of support, she started the to turn the most difficult time of her life into a good cause. The foundation鈥檚 goal? 鈥淒o what Hudson loved.鈥�

Katie expects around 400 people, including the players, to be in attendance throughout Saturday.听

“He really left a hole in a lot of people’s lives, not just for me and the kids,” said Katie, his wife of 7 years. “This will never fill it. But I’m hoping it’s something.”

Before the tournament starts, there will be a silent auction and a family skate. Katie and the organizers set the fundraising goal at $60,000, but they’ve already surpassed $75,000 and could total more before Saturday. One of the items up for auction is a signed Sidney Crosby jersey that he wore during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics gold medal game 鈥� one of three he wore in that final, according to Katie.

They are still trying to figure out where all of the event’s proceeds will be going; however, they will be donating听a portion of the听funds to the Hockey 4 Youth Foundation, an organizations that helps remove barriers to hockey for Canadian immigrants.听

鈥淗e just had so much good left in him. He had so much more,鈥� Katie said. 鈥淚 have to find a way to carry it on and keep him alive in that way.”

Born and raised in Toronto, Sullivan became a well-known businessman who moved to New York City and spent time working with companies such as听Pepsi, Wasserman and TikTok.听

When living in New York, he always looked forward to playing in the Central Park Classic over Family Day weekend in February, known as President’s Day weekend in the U.S. It was an outdoor hockey tournament hosted by the Canadian Association of New York, which aimed to bring the Canadian community in the New York City area together.听

His team of Upper Canada College alumni won the tournament at least three times, Phelan said. But winning wasn’t Sullivan looked forward to the most 鈥� it was the quality time he spent with people he rarely got to see.听

“It bridges to the friendships,” said Phelan, who was close friends with Sullivan for over 25 years. “We certainly hope that this tournament will do the same.”听

At this year’s tournament, many teams will be made up of people who knew Sullivan well. But some players never met him, and for many, Saturday will be the first time they meet each other. That, Phelan said, speaks to the reach and lasting bonds Sullivan built throughout his life.

The goal of the Hudson Cup is for it to eventually grow beyond Sullivan鈥檚 immediate circle and become a broader community event. The mix of close friends and newcomers is exactly what organizers hope continues.

“That’s really what’s going to be required for it to sustain itself and take on a life of its own 鈥� for it to still be strong and growing in 15 years,” said Phelan.

Plans for the next Hudson Cup haven鈥檛 been set as the focus is firmly on Saturday. Emotions will likely run high, but the goal remains simple: 鈥淏ring people together for a wonderful, fun day of hockey鈥� 鈥� just as Sullivan would鈥檝e wanted.

This year鈥檚 tournament also just happens to fall on the day before Mother鈥檚 Day.

“I’m anticipating it being a very hard day,” said Katie. “I think it will feel very rewarding. I think I’ll be very proud of everything we’ve done and for his community who have come out. It is so important to me that my kids see how many people loved him and how he touched so many people.

“But he should be there.”