O'Connor and friends get ready to Pay It Forward

Over the summer, J.J. O'Connor and a close childhood friend were talking about the 20-year anniversary that he'd hit on Oct. 24 - the day he broke his neck after crashing into the boards at a Skokie ice rink, an accident that left him partially paralyzed.

O'Connor has met that anniversary 19 other times, reflecting back to his senior year at Loyola Academy when he was playing in a hockey game at the Skokie Skatium for the midget-level McFetridge Patriots. Some anniversaries have been very challenging, emotion-filled; some have nearly slipped by without him even remembering the day.

But in honor of the 20th anniversary, they thought a party would be nice, something special for a small group of family and friends.

"If it's going to be a difficult day for me, why not (at least) have fun, make it a day that I can remember, enjoy and celebrate, focus on all of the great things in my life," O'Connor said. "Then I thought, maybe the date and the event/party can be used to help others. So many people have done so many great things for me; I want to give back, do the same in whatever way I can to help others."

Originally, they talked about having the party at O'Connor's home in Mt. Prospect, or maybe at a nearby bar or restaurant, for 30 or 40 people.

Then O'Connor approached personnel at Seven Bridges Ice Arena in Woodridge. He asked about renting one of the facilities' two ice rinks for an hour.

Instead, Andrea Hahn, the president of the Chicago Mission hockey team, which skates out of Seven Bridges, told O'Connor that he was getting use of the entire building - free of charge, including both sheets of ice, the soccer field and more.

"That's when it became much bigger than I first anticipated," O'Connor said.

On Oct. 24, from 7 p.m. to midnight, JJ's Pay It Forward Celebration will be held, with ice skating, broomball, soccer, bumper cars on ice, raffles, silent auctions and more. The event will raise funds for three charities close to his heart - the GLASA Fire Power Soccer team, for disabled individuals in wheelchairs; disabled hockey, for individuals with physical and cognitive disabilities; and the Blackhawks Warriors Hockey team, for injured veterans.

O'Connor first hoped to raise $5,000, but has quickly skyrocketed that total to $30,000.

"We're trying to put together an event that everyone can and will enjoy, not just a hockey event," Hahn said. "We felt this was a great opportunity to give back and help three very worthwhile charities. Plus, J.J. is such an amazing person, such a huge role model."

Jack Raslawski, of Ingleside, the former Illinois Referee-in-Chief and still an on-ice official, added that O'Connor "truly is an inspiration … he had a devastating injury and has since turned it into a positive thing for so many others, both hockey and soccer players and others."

Jim Smith, the president of USA Hockey, said O'Connor has made "quite an impression on a lot of people over the past 20 years."

The Mission is donating the ice for O'Connor's event, which would cost about $4,000 for five hours that skating will be available. The Mission has 13 teams this season, including four girls teams, and about 300 total players. Hahn said players and family members from at least 11 of the 13 Mission teams will attend the O'Connor event; the two other teams will be playing in Boston that night.

More than 3,000 are expected to attend.

"It's mind-blowing, difficult for me to comprehend," how the event has developed, O'Connor said. "My goal (from the event) is to raise money to give to other people. It's not about J.J. It's about giving to others."

O'Connor, now 36, lives in Mt. Prospect, where he is a self-employed entrepreneur. He owns five SportsClips hair cutting salons, two in Wisconsin and three in Illinois. He also since 2002 has been the chair of USA Hockey's Disabled Sports Section. O'Connor has been a part of three U.S. Paralympic Games (2006, 2010 and 2014). He also is the co-founder and general manager of the local Hornets sled hockey team, and earlier this year aligned with the Blackhawks Warriors team as its co-founder and general manager.

In November, O'Connor will be part of the Sled Hockey Classic, presented by the NHL and hosted by the Florida Panthers.

"It's going to be a tough day, but having the party is going to make it great," said O'Connor, who knows it will be "an extremely emotional day.

"I never thought 20 years ago that I'd still be in a wheelchair, in the position I'm in."

O'Connor said the event is simply a "celebration of 20 years, of what I would consider a great life. I've had so many great fortunes, so many great people in my life doing nice things for me. Because of my injury, I've done things that I probably never would have done."

O'Connor admitted that he was surprised that several friends from hockey are flying into Chicago just to attend the event. USA Hockey's Smith, who lives in Mt. Prospect a mile away from O'Connor, is one of O'Connor's best, closest friends. He is helping organize the event.

O'Connor and Smith met a week after the accident, and the two have talked daily - yes, daily - for 20 years.

"He's my guardian angel, no question about it," O'Connor said of Smith. "I give him a lot of credit for the things that I've accomplished, the things that I've been able to do."

Smith said, "I think it's going to be a major event."