The NHL’s preseason will carry a recovery message again this September, with every goal adding to a donation total for the Matthew Perry Foundation. The League will contribute $100 per goal during its exhibition schedule, twice the per-goal amount pledged last year.
NHL preseason goals to support Matthew Perry Foundation
The second edition of Goals for Recovery arrives during National Recovery Month. The money will support addiction recovery, prevention and advocacy programs across North America through the foundation created in Perry’s memory.
Quick facts
- The NHL will donate $100 for each preseason goal.
- Preseason runs from Sept. 19 through Sept. 26.
- The eight-day schedule includes 65 games at 36 NHL and neutral-site locations.
- Last season’s donation rate was $50 per preseason goal.
- Funds previously supported medical training and community recovery programs.
Rob Wooley, executive director of the NHL Foundation, said hockey’s ability to build community is central to the initiative. He said Perry’s genuine connection to the sport still resonates with fans and can help prompt more open conversations about addiction and recovery.
Wooley said the partnership is intended to improve understanding of recovery while helping people reach the services they need. The program returns after its inaugural preseason campaign brought both funding and visibility to the foundation’s work.
Matthew Perry Foundation special projects adviser Shauna Nep said last year’s collaboration made an impact beyond the donation total. She said the League’s public commitment helped advance Perry’s goal of removing the stigma attached to addiction and changed what the foundation could do for the communities it serves.
The foundation was established after Perry died accidentally on Oct. 28, 2023. Its mission includes providing financial assistance to organizations working with people in recovery and challenging the shame often associated with addiction.
Where last year’s money went
Half of the prior preseason contribution went to the first Matthew Perry Foundation Fellowship in Addiction Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. Foundation communications director Greg Fleisher said the fellowship helps prepare physicians to treat addiction as a disease through focused education and care.
The remaining half backed local recovery efforts, including California’s Mariposa Heritage House and its Sober Sluggers recovery softball program. Fleisher said small organizations working on the front line can be heavily affected by even modest funding, particularly in underserved communities.
That grassroots support program is expanding nationally this year. Fleisher said those groups provide essential support networks and, in some cases, face the difference between staying open and closing their doors.
Perry, widely known for playing Chandler Bing on “Friends,” was a serious hockey fan long before his television career made him a household name. Born in Williamstown, Massachusetts, he moved to Ottawa at about age 1, where he developed his feel for the game and became a strong player.
He remained a lifelong supporter of the Ottawa Senators, then adopted the Los Angeles Kings after relocating to California. Perry played in celebrity hockey events, including the 1994 NHL Celebrity All-Star Game, appeared in an NHL commercial in 1995, and celebrated with the Stanley Cup at his home after the Kings won in 2012.
Later that year, he presented Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson with the Norris Trophy at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas. This preseason, every exhibition marker will add another hockey chapter to the legacy Perry’s foundation is carrying forward.
SEO Title: NHL Goals for Recovery returns with $100 per preseason goal donation
SEO Description: The NHL and Matthew Perry Foundation are renewing Goals for Recovery, with $100 donated for every preseason goal scored from Sept. 19-26.
