If you have spent any time at hockey arenas in North Bay watching Battalion, Lakers or Trappers games, the chances are you have seen or heard Darren Simms cheering.
For more than a decade, Darren has taken pride in wearing the home team's colours and supporting those teams in North Bay.
Lately, his health has taken a turn for the worse so he has not been able to spend much time at the hockey rink this season.
Darren was recently admitted into the Nipissing Serenity Hospice and that organization along with the Community Paramedicine program and the North Bay Battalion joined forces to create a special memory for Darren at Memorial Gardens one last time.
On Sunday, Simms was brought into the rink on a stretcher where he was taken into the North Bay Battalion dressing room before their matinee game.
"We had an individual in today to do our starting lineup," said Battalion head coach Ryan Oulahen after the game.
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Perhaps Darren's passion for the game he loves was passed on when he read the starting lineup as the Battalion pulled off an upset 4-3 shootout win over the visiting Niagara IceDog on Sunday afternoon.
"Darren's favourite player is Mike McIvor, so how fitting was it that Mikey shuts the door there and in the shootout," said Oulahen.
The Nipissing Serenity Hospice is committed to helping residents and families experience moments of joy during their end-of-life journey.
"We were able to facilitate an end-of-life wish for one of our residents who is a self-proclaimed die-hard North Bay Battalion fan," the Hospice stated on social media Tuesday.
Gil Pharand, executive director at the Nipissing Serenity Hospice, was thrilled to be able to create such a memorable experience for Simms.
"We thought this would be a great opportunity to do something special for him," said Pharand.
"Our team reached out to the Community Paramedicine Program to ensure that we were able to facilitate getting him to the game and the Battalion was on board right away. This was a very special day for Darren and his loved ones. We always look for ways that we can provide meaningful, end-of-life experiences to those in our care.
"These experiences are only made possible through the amazing support and generosity of those in our community. We cannot thank them enough for making Darren’s day."