EVERYONE involved in ice hockey has been really hit by what’s happened to Scott Matzka because it’s just so sad.

Scott is a player that I was team-mates with at Cardiff Devils a few years ago but last year he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease, whish is also known as ALS, and everyone in ice hockey is trying to rally around and support him.

He is in dire straits at the moment and it’s really tough because there is no known cure for this horrible illness.

The whole sport is trying to stick together and on Tuesday night there’s a big event in Cardiff where we will be trying to raise as much money as we can for Scott and his family.

He really is in huge need of help right now and anything we can do to support him will be massive.

It’s not just raising money, it’s just raising awareness of ASL too, that’s why all the clubs and players have been trying to be proactive on social media to put the word out there.

I know Scott well having played with him in my career. He’s a special person, an exemplary person. A good guy and a really good friend too.

He was part of the best line I was ever part of during the better days of my career when I was at Cardiff a few years ago. He has got a family and kids and it’s really horrible what’s happened.

Ice hockey in the UK is not the biggest sport so we have all got to try to come together and try to maximise the amount of help we can give.

Adam Calder up at Coventry Blaze is having a tough time too because of cancer so we are trying to help those guys as much as we can and make everyone know about what’s going on.

It’s shocking to hear about a sports person suffering like this but it just shows that everyone is vulnerable and you don’t know when or why something bad can hit you.

In my other job I work in life insurance and that’s one of the reasons I got into it.

A few of my friends, who were a similar age, were diagnosed with things like cancer and other horrible illnesses and it just shows you are never safe from these things not matter who you are or what you do.