Cain is the organizer of charity hockey game in honor of McCoy happening today in Springfield. He said all it took was a cup of coffee with McCoy for him to see the selfless quality that others praise McCoy for.
“[Vince] is ‘that guy,’” Cain said. “He’s that genuine guy who cares about people. He’s a phenomenal person.”
Cain said he had originally planned the event with proceeds to benefit McCoy and his family — but McCoy insisted that the money go elsewhere.
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The hockey game will pit Dayton Fire Hockey against Columbus Fire Hockey, and proceeds will go towards Box 27, which is a Springfield volunteer group that gives direct support to first responders on fire scenes. They bring food, water, coffee — or even fill air cylinders — for firefighters at all hours of the day.
In addition to the game, Cain said there will also be baskets donated by local businesses and hockey merchandise auctioned off, including a hockey stick signed by the entire Columbus Blue Jackets hockey team.
There will also be T-shirts, a 50/50 raffle — and a special presentation.
“Just trying to highlight our community,” McCain said.
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In June, the community had a ‘Victory for Vince’ fundraiser at the Clark County Fairgrounds, which was very successful in raising money for McCoy and his family.
Even though this time around, the money is going towards a different cause, Cain said the experience of putting the event together has been well worth it already.
“Being able to come together with the firefighters of Dayton and Columbus and getting to know Vince… Even if we had five people show up, I’d do it all over again,” Cain said.
The event is free and open to the public, although any donations will be accepted. The puck will drop for the game at 4 p.m. at The Chiller, 301 W. Main Street in Springfield.
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