Former Ranger Captain Hadfield Helps Raise Millions For Rare Blood Disorder

Vic Hadfield is best known to New York sports fans as a former member of New York Rangers' famous Goal-A-Game line of the early 1970s along with Rod Gilbert and Jean Ratelle.

Hadfield, who owns a golf education center near Toronto, these days also quietly donates time and sweat to the Daniella Maria Arturi Foundation to increase awareness and support research in Diamond Blackfan Anemia, a rare childhood disorder resulting from the failure of bone marrow to produce red blood cells.

I attended the annual fund-raising event last night at at the Edgewood
Country Club, River Vale, New Jersey, where at least another $200,000 was raised to fund research. It was a very mellow event as Hadfield - joined by former Rangers Eddie Giacomin, Gilles Villemure, Dave Maloney and Nick Fotiu - concentrated on raising money for the foundation. The evening's focus was mostly on the advances made in battling this disease and what lies ahead on the scientific front. You almost needed a degree in biology to grasp the research complexities.

Hadfield became involved when Manny Arturi, a business associate, lost a seven-month-old daughter to the disease in 1996. The former left wing vowed to start a charity golf tournament, which has become a decade-long tradition for Hadfield and his hockey pals.

Hadfield's efforts have helped generate about $1.8 million for the foundation.

"The best part of all this is watching Vic watch slides and presentations about molecular biology,'' said Marie Arturi, who smiles when she talks about daughter Daniella. "Here's a former star athlete who gives and gives and gives."

Photo of Vic Hadfield by Bettmann/CORBIS

During their ordeal Marie and Manny Arturi were shocked to discover how little was known about DBA; how little research was conducted and how few physicians were aware of it and thus how little was known about clinical care related to it.

Now the medical community has taken notice as the American Society of Hematology has become involved. Clinical care centers have been created and $28 million overall has been raised for DBA research.

"It's really an honor to be involved,'" said the understated Hadfield, best known the first Rangers to score 50 goals in a season which he accomplished in 1971-72.

The world needs more quiet heroes like Vic Hadfield.