Huskies don pink jerseys for cancer awareness on October 11th.

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Fort St. John Huskies president Michael Bacso (centre) alongside his sister Alex Olsen and father John Bacso, dropped the puck for the ceremonial face off at the Huskies’ Saturday ‘Stick it to Cancer’ game versus the Beaverlodge Blades. (Street Legal Photography/Facebook)

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The Fort St. John Huskies honoured a long-time fan with a personal connection to the team in a very special way on the weekend.

In honour of its annual ‘Stick it to Cancer’ game promoting cancer awareness on October 11th, the team donned white jerseys with a pink colour scheme, donated by John M. Bacso Muscle Therapy in Fort St. John.

The team has in previous years worn black jerseys with a purple trim. They were to honour John’s wife, Diana Bacso, who passed away from breast cancer in January 2025.

The company also donated jerseys for the North Peace Secondary School (NPSS) girls’ volleyball team, of whom Diana’s daughter Alex Olsen is the head coach.

Diana was also the mother of Huskies president Michael Bacso. He, along with his sister and dad, dropped the puck in the ceremonial faceoff for Saturday’s game versus the Beaverlodge Blades.

Volunteers, like the ones at the Huskies’ Booster Shop, donned pink jerseys during the game on October 11th. (Ed Hitchins, Energeticcity.ca)

A portion of the gate receipts, the 50/50 draw and auction which took place on October 11th will be later donated to the Fort St. John Hospital Foundation.

“She kind of knew that time was coming to the end,” said Michael. “We had some talks and she said she would like to sponsor a set of uniforms for the Huskies.

“I think she would be proud of the players on the ice [and] how they played. I think she would be proud of the Huskies organization and where we have come in my tenure with the organization.”

The massage and sports medicine company has been supportive of Huskies hockey, according to team head coach Todd Alexander.

“Bacso muscle therapy has been a huge sponsor for us,” said Alexander. “[John] put a lot of my players back together over the years.

Team captain Grayden Alexander lines up for a faceoff in the white-and-pink attire for the game versus the Beaverlodge Blades on Saturday evening, October 11th. (Ed Hitchins, Energeticcity.ca)

“The jerseys always mean something for someone, and obviously there’s a little extra incentive for our group this year. Hopefully we wear them proudly for everyone that has lost somebody to cancer.”

The team wore the jerseys en route to a 4-2 victory over the Blades, for the club’s third consecutive victory.

The club will wear these jerseys at home for a second time on Sunday, October 26th against the Dawson Creek Kodiaks.

Although there are plans to auction the jerseys off at some point, Michael said the club will wear the jerseys again next season.

“We will wear them next year,” said Michael. “It will probably be at that point next year whether we will retire them for an auction, or wear them for a third year.”

More details about the Huskies are available on the team’s Instagram and Facebook pages and website.