MONDAY FEATURE: Bears Back To Bonding With The Community

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HERSHEY, Pa. - Ask any former or current Hershey Bears player what they like the most about playing in Hershey, and a majority will tell you that the fans are a huge draw - especially to those who are signing AHL-only contracts.

"At the end of the day, it's the fans," Jake Massie said. "You see every night, like this [past] Sunday, we had 9,000 fans. I mean, you're just not going to find that anywhere else in the league, so a lot of credit goes to them. And, also it's a great organization. They really respect their players and treat us really well."

So the organization usually has no trouble getting players to volunteer to give back by going out into the community now that COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted by the league. One such community service visit saw Kale Kessy, Sam Anas, Mason Morelli, and Massie travel to Fort Indiantown Gap for Veterans Day to meet with service members and their families.

"Yeah, we love doing that stuff, and I think Hershey as an organization does a very good job of that," Kessy told InsideAHLHockey.com. "I love doing stuff in the community & doing that stuff whenever I can."

Anas agreed.

"I think it just seems so natural and kind of getting to know fans and other people in the community just on a personal level and getting to see their personalities, and some of them have been fans for a long time," he said, adding, "So I think it means a lot to them, and it's cool for us to get to know these people too."

It does mean a great deal to those currently serving and those who have served previously to be given recognition, particularly during times where our country is not at war and it's easy to perhaps forget just what it is that the military has done for everyone, but Kessy, Anas, Morelli, and Massie as well as their teammates fully understand.

"It's great to get integrated back into the community, and show a little love to the community and give back to them, especially the veterans," Massie said. "We owe a lot to them, all their sacrifices that they have made over the years and continue to do. We owe a lot to them, so it's always nice to give back and their families are great, too."

Kessy obliged, saying, "I mean, we get to play the game we love. It was awesome going out there to meet all of them, their families and their kids and stuff like that. I mean, compared to what they do, this is a breeze for us."

One thing that wasn't a breeze for the Bears was taking on the kids in games on their turf.

"It's nice to play with the kids and we're playing a bunch of games, so it was a fun night with a little bit of pool, a little bit of table hockey too; that got competitive, but I think they got beat," Massie said referring to his teammates.

"It was actually foosball," Morelli said clarifying. "Sammy and I were playing foosball, but yeah, it was super fun out there. We got to meet some really good people and we had a great time."

But honoring the military members and their families is not just limited to one trip to the USO.

The Bears, like other professional hockey teams, recognize military members and their families at each home game, which often leads to both teams giving stick taps at their respective benches.

"We just have so much respect for the military and all that they do, not just for our country, but the sacrifices that they make for their bodies and everything. It truly is the ultimate sacrifice, and we salute them with every honor," concluded Anas.

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