NHL and Matthew Perry Foundation partner up for a preseason charity
Photo courtesy of Office of National Drug Control Policy/Wikimedia Commons
The Goals for Recovery campaign with the Matthew Perry Foundation and the NHL is honoring Perry’s legacy and using the preseason stage to raise awareness and funds for addiction recovery during National Recovery Month.
The National Hockey League (NHL) and Matthew Perry Foundation have partnered up for the 2025-26 preseason with the Goals for Recovery initiative, uniting one of North America’s most beloved sports leagues with a foundation dedicated to honoring the late actor’s legacy of advocacy.
With September being National Recovery Month, the NHL will donate 50 dollars per preseason goal to the Matthew Perry Foundation. Typically, nearly 400 goals are scored each NHL preseason, the campaign is projected to raise about $20,000 in donations. Beyond the fundraising, the NHL will be able to put a national spotlight on a disease that has been swept under the rug.
The Matthew Perry Foundation’s mission is to support addiction recovery, prevention, and advocacy efforts. They aim to eliminate the stigma surrounding addiction and provide financial support to organizations that offer pathways to recovery. The foundation was created following the actor’s accidental death on October 28, 2023, due to the acute effects of ketamine.
While the $20,000 is a significant amount, the true impact lies in how this money raised will be used. In addition to its recent partnership with the NHL, the Matthew Perry Foundation has already partnered with four other organizations in an effort to fund and provide resources, connections, and visibility to addiction recovery. The foundation is a vital stepping stone to making worldwide efforts and reaping positive impacts as a result of its mission.
Matthew Perry was an immensely successful actor, best known for his role as Chandler Bing in the sitcom Friends (1994-2004), whose ties to hockey run deep. Perry was born in Massachusetts and moved to Ottawa around his first birthday, where his love for hockey was born and fostered.
Throughout his career and life, Perry not only supported the NHL from afar, but also participated in its culture. He played in the 1994 NHL Celebrity All-Star Game and appeared in a 1995 NHL commercial. Perry also presented the Norris Trophy to defenseman and Ottawa Senator at the time, Erik Karlsson, at the NHL Award Show in 2012. That same year, Perry hosted a Stanley Cup party at his house after the Los Angeles Kings won the championship.
Matthew Perry Foundation president Doug Chapin and executive director Lisa Kasteler-Calio praised the initiative, noting its potential to spark meaningful conversation around addiction. In a statement to NHL.com, they said, “With Goals for Recovery, the NHL is helping us change the conversation surrounding addiction, proving that when fans, families and players unite to create a community, healing is possible.” Chapin added that the partnership also reflects Perry’s lifelong passion for the game, saying, “There’s always been a very strong connection between him and the NHL.”
This collaboration fits with the NHL’s history of using its platform for social good and change. Much like the Hockey Fights Cancer and the Hockey is for Everyone initiatives, Goals for Recovery reflects the league’s ongoing commitment to addressing issues that reach far beyond the sport. By teaming up with the Matthew Perry Foundation, the NHL is showing how the power of a sport can inspire compassion and change.
As the NHL and the Matthew Perry Foundation launch Goals for Recovery, it extends far beyond just hockey; it represents a cause that Perry himself championed throughout his life. Perry’s advocacy work, honesty about his struggles, and his determination to help others are now amplified on one of the world’s biggest sports stages. Perry once said, “When I die, I want helping others to be the first thing that’s mentioned.” With this partnership, that dream has become a reality.