TEMPE — A little bit of rain on Sunday didn’t stop the fourth annual Skatin’ for Leighton at Arizona State University's Mountain America Stadium.
Hundreds in the Arizona hockey community walked, ran or skated around the stadium to raise money, making it easier for young girls to play hockey.
The event is all in the name of a young athlete who stole the hearts of the Arizona hockey community, Leighton Accardo.
“Grit is a word that comes to mind for me, she was a special, special person,” said her dad, Jeremy Accardo.
The combination of Jeremy’s experience in Major League Baseball and Leighton's mom's Canadian background smoothed the ice for their little ones to learn many life lessons through sports.
At four years old, Leighton decided she wanted to try her hand at hockey.
“She said, 'No, no I want to try that!'” said Carly Accardo. “And I said, ‘Thank God you’re the same size as your brother.’ I threw her in his gear to give it a shot and she loved it.”
When Leighton was seven years old, that hockey toughness was put to the test when she was diagnosed with cancerous germ cell tumors.
“It was actually Mother’s Day weekend when she was diagnosed. I guess, gut punch,” said Carly.
Jeremy added, “It's a gut punch every day.”
Organizers with her hockey team, the Kachinas, called her parents one day and said Leighton was going to be the ambassador for Hockey Fights Cancer night and it’s going to be “the best day of her life.”
She signed a one-day contract with Coyotes and she was honored on the ice. When Leighton addressed the team, she said four words that still resonate with everyone in the ‘Yotes organization today: “Skate Hard, Have Fun.”
“I think it was the ultimate mantra. Especially for me having played a really high level. Sometimes you just need to bring it back to that. You need to bring it back to the simple things,” said Olympic medalist, Lyndsey Fry.
Leighton Passed away at just nine years old.
She is the only non-player or media member inducted into the Coyotes' Ring of Honor.
A key part of her legacy is the Leighton Accardo Scholarship fund and "Skatin for Leighton."
The annual event raises money to ensure if there’s a girl who wants to play hockey in Arizona, money won’t keep her from getting on the ice. Fry said for beginner hockey players, start prices can range south of $1,000. As you get older and travel starts to play a role in competition, playing the sport can range around $7,000.
”We have girls that are getting 20% percent financial assistance, we have girls getting 100. It's all based on financial need.” said Fry.
The goal on Sunday was to raise a little less than $50,000 to ensure every girl who wants to gets a chance to “skate hard, have fun”
“I think she would just be over the moon happy,” said Carly, looking out at the crowd that showed up for this year’s fundraiser.