This year’s Stanley Cup made it to Massachusetts Thursday, the same one that former Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy won with the Vegas Golden Knights last month.
Cassidy raised the 2023 Cup during an event in Milton that was meant to be part celebration and part commemoration, with hopes of raising funds for a new charity - the Cassidy Murray Foundation.
The current NHL champ used the occasion to champion the life of a local teen and close family friend Cassidy Murray.
“I thought well, what if we brought the cup here and raise some awareness, maybe people are able to donate to the foundation and we can get it going,” said Cassidy.
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The 13-year-old died last year in a water tubing accident while vacationing with family in Aruba. The teen was best friends with Cassidy’s daughter Shannon.
“She was the best person I’ve ever met,” she said to a crowd of hundreds of attendees. “So sweet, so kind, so happy, she had the biggest smile. And I just want you all to remember that to always let your smile change the world and don’t let the world change your smile.”
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The family foundation bears the name of the late Milton native – the same name on the street leading to her old elementary school where the foundation officially launched Thursday morning.
“It’s so hard to get good therapy, it’s expensive and a lot don’t take health insurance, so that’s really one of the reasons our foundation is being set up,” said Murray’s father David, who along with the rest of the family, struggled getting help to cope with the death of his daughter.
Attendees had a chance to touch and take a photo with the trophy Cassidy won this season with the Vegas Golden Knights with the goal of helping those struggling with the loss of a loved one through the foundation.
“What we can do is have hope, that we will survive and that we will help others along the way,” said Murray’s brother Adam.
The Murray family said they’ve already had people reach out for help. The foundation is now looking to work with hospitals and clinics to facilitate and expand mental health care.
