'He was pretty much the best': Calgary man whose organs helped save lives honoured with charity hockey tournament

A charity hockey tournament held on Wednesday night helped honour a young Calgary man who died in a crash in Montana this past summer.

Friends and family said Willy Hunt enriched lives while he was alive and through the organs that now live on in others.

Hunt, 21, died in a Billings hospital after a single-vehicle crash on July 10.

He was a registered organ donor and his heart and other organs helped save the lives of half a dozen others.

Hunt's mom and sister participated in the ceremonial puck drop at the event called the Willy Hunt Winter Classic at the Lake Bonavista Community Association.

The ceremonial puck drop at the Willy Hunt Winter Classic.

Many friends suited up in special Willy jerseys for a spirited game all for a good cause.

Funds were raised for Canadian Blood Services and the uKnighted Fund, which helps kids from families facing financial challenges enroll in hockey.

“He was pretty much the best. He was a good friend of many of us. We grew up playing hockey with him, he was hilarious, kind-hearted, just the works,” Jack Nielsen, Hunt’s best friend and an organizer of the event, said.

“We’ve got local guys raising money donating blood and everyone's coming together and just remembering him.”

Organizers of the event plan to see what support there is to make it an annual occurrence.