MONTREAL - The Montreal Canadiens and Sun Life Financial Inc. are proud to team up and provide children living with type 1 diabetes the opportunity to attend hockey camp. This unique initiative, which is part of the Montreal Canadiens Hockey School program presented by Le Dindon du Québec, will provide children impacted by this disease the opportunity to learn the game of hockey and how to best manage their disease on and off the ice.

According to the Canadian Paediatric Society, approximately 33,000 children between the ages of 5 and 18 are living with type 1 diabetes*. The camp, run in collaboration with Dskate, is specially designed to teach the children and their families about diabetes and bring sports and health professionals together under one roof.

"We are very grateful for Sun Life Financial's support, because without them, this special edition hockey camp would not have been possible", said Geneviève Paquette, Executive Director, Community Relations, Montreal Canadiens. "We want to encourage children from all walks of life to learn the game of hockey and develop their physical skills. Thanks to the expertise provided by Dskate and the collaboration with Sun Life Financial, we are able to provide children living with type 1 diabetes the tools and skills they need to best manage their disease."

"Since we announced our support of diabetes in 2012, we've focused on diabetes awareness, prevention, care and research, with over $17 million committed to date," said Robert Dumas, President, Sun Life Financial, Quebec. "We're proud to continue our long-standing partnership with the Montreal Canadiens to provide children living with type 1 diabetes the chance to attend this hockey camp. This innovative collaboration will enable them to enjoy a unique sports experience and deepen their understanding of the disease in order to become more self-sufficient and knowledgeable in managing their health."

Taking place at the Bell Sports Complex from August 21 to 25, participants of the Dskate special edition hockey camp will be monitored by hockey instructors, medical staff, kinesiology professionals and nutritionists all specialized in emergency intervention and hockey coaching - and it's all being offered at an affordable cost for young hockey players living with type 1 diabetes. To register for the hockey camp, or for further information, please visit https://www.nhl.com/canadiens/community/dskate.