Brent Saik and 39 other dedicated hockey players are willing to leave it all on the ice for a future without cancer through the World's Longest Hockey Game.

"When it's cold and you're tired and you have blisters and you're injured, it's not about what you're going through. You're trying to understand what people you know who went through cancer were feeling, and you're doing it for them," said Saik, founder and organizer of the World's Longest Hockey Game.

When Saik started the World's Longest Hockey Game in 2003, he had planned to dedicate the event to his father, who inspired him to raise funds to give back to the community. But just before the game was set to start, his wife Susan Saik was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a battle with cancer that took her life shortly after those first 85-hours of hockey were finished.

"Everybody who plays either has cancer, has beaten cancer, or has someone close to their family with a cancer story," said Saik, one of 40 players who will attempt to break the Guinness World Record by playing hockey for 250 hours straight over 10 days.

Now in its fifth year, Saik hopes to raise $2.1 million for the Alberta Cancer Foundation to put the first PET-MR machine in Western Canada in the hands of medical professionals at the Cross Cancer Institute.

"It will help us understand how cancer is affecting the individual patient, so we can ensure we get the right treatment to the right patient at the right time," said Bobbi Wolbeck, associate director of the Alberta Cancer Foundation.

From Feb. 6 to 16 on a rink built on Saik's acreage at 52269 on Range Road 220, two teams of 20 players will alternate playing in six-hour shifts for 10 days straight, willing to risk frostbite and fatigue in the fight against cancer.

"It's not just about being tired, it's about making sure that you make your shift because you've got 19 other people counting on you and you're doing it in honour and sometimes in memory of people that you've lost that you love very much," said Saik. "You don't want to let them down."

This year, Saik has constructed a 7,000 square foot facility to house a medical facility and change rooms for the players, as well as a second level to make it more comfortable for the thousands of spectators expected to take in the action.

He has also put in a second rink so visitors can enjoy a skate or take part in various skills competitions to add to the overall festival atmosphere of the event.

The players are hoping to take back the title for World's Longest Hockey Game from a group out of Calgary, but while having the record is fun, for Saik it's all about making the future brighter for those diagnosed with cancer.

"Every guy will cry out here," said Saik. "If you come away from this thing and aren't crying at some point, then something is wrong."

Spectators are encouraged to come out and cheer on the players throughout the event. For more information, including where to donate, go to www.albertacancer.ca/worldslongesthockeygame2015