by Frank Cosentino. Charity Originally intended as a one-off event, the Fathers became a popular phenomenon and were active until 2009. The Flying Fathers had played over 907 games, losing only 6 of these, and had raised over $4 million. Their single-game fundraising record is $240,000 at a game in Toronto. Some of the charities to which the revenues from exhibition games were donated included the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, Habitat for Humanity, and the Salvation Army. The team has played exhibition games against local and recreational teams to raise funds for local parishes, retirement homes, hospices, and pregnancy crisis centres. It has also played high-school teams to raise funds for their schools. Games According to Reverend Kris Schmidt, the games featuring the Flying Fathers are intended to be more "entertainment than playing a real hockey game", incorporating gags and other antics throughout the game, but the game must also exhibit the skill of the players. Many of the antics common during their games were established in their first game. The first player to score for the opposing team would result in the Flying Fathers holding a faux ordination for that player, then counting his goal for the Flying Fathers instead of the opposing team. They would also have referees assess a penalty to opposing players for "acting like a Protestant". Backup goaltenders for the team included two horses, named Patience and Penance, who were mounted by a clown and wore goalie pads. One of the player priests would ask the horse "Why are we going to win?", with the horse's response to kneel as if praying. Every game would feature the appearance of Sister Mary Shooter, in which one of the player priests would don nun's habit and would play very aggressively, including cross-checking and slashing opposing players. References Further reading External links The Flying Fathers Hockey Club Flying Fathers Ice hockey teams in Canada Canadian Roman Catholic clergy Charity in Canada 1963 establishments in Ontario