On Wednesday, April 17, Vail Mountain Ski Patrol and Eagle County first responders took to the ice at Dobson Ice Arena, facing off for a good cause.

Multiple local agencies — including fire, police and paramedic agencies — and community members joined together to raise money for the Steve Zuckerman Memorial Fund as part of the Eagle County Emergency Responders Fund.

served as a full-time Eagle County paramedic, a member of Vail Mountain Rescue, and a Beaver Creek ski patroller for over 25 years. He died in February while responding to a backcountry rescue call in East Vail.

Eagle County Emergency Responders Fund is working alongside Zuckerman’s family to create a fund that honors his long legacy of emergency response in Eagle County.

In total, the game raised over $4,500 for the Steve Zuckerman Memorial Fund , bringing the total amount collected to over $6,700, to date.

Support Local Journalism

Last week’s hockey game revitalized the Vail Ski Patrol versus Vail Ski School hockey games of years past. Vail Town Council member and ski patroller Reid Phillips was involved in crafting the original games — the last of which was played pre-pandemic in 2019 — as well as in bringing back the game in a new way this year.

“After playing in 15 ski patrol versus ski school hockey games, I wanted to change things and have a more meaningful event,” Phillips said.

A conversation between Phillips and Greg Schwartz, an officer with Vail Police, at Vail’s annual community meeting in March brought renewed energy to the idea. At first, they went back and forth to decide what local organization the game would benefit.

“It was a pretty quick decision to do it for Steve once we found out the Eagle County Emergency Responders Fund had a specific fund going for Steve Zuckerman,” Schwartz said. “Steve Zuckerman had such an impact on the first responder and ski patrol communities, it was really a perfect fit.”

Brandon Daruna, the CEO of Eagle County Paramedics Services, said it was a great opportunity “for Eagle County to come together and once again celebrate Steve and his contributions, in the effort of leaving a legacy for him that will live long past his death.”

While the teams were largely comprised of Vail Ski Patrol on one team and first responders on the other, there were also a few special guest players. This included Zuckerman’s son, Ben.

“We had a great conversation on the phone before the game and he really downplayed his skill level, he’s a great skater and won a lot of face-offs. It was really special he came out to skate with us,” Schwartz said.

The first responder team also tapped former Colorado Avalanche player John-Michael Liles to join as a ringer. Liles was sworn in as an honorary member of the Vail Police Department to make it happen.

“It was great having Liles skate with us, he was really working hard to set up our players with some goals,” Schwartz said.

However, in the end, it was the Vail Ski Patrol team that left victorious.

“It was amazing to have not only the community of first responders and community of ski patrollers but there were people that happened upon it and came off the street and were willing to donate and watch and have a good time,” Daruna said.

In the future, Schwartz said he expects the game to continue, possibly as an annual “game in Steve’s honor and continue to raise money for ECERF or jointly with ECERF and a Ski Patrol-sponsored charity.”

The Eagle County Emergency Responders Fund was “founded by a local first responder who saw a need for help when first responders were dealing with their own ’emergencies,'” said Bethe Wright, the organization’s executive director.

The organization relies on fundraising events like this one as well as private donations and grants to support Eagle County first responders in numerous ways.

“Monies raised are used to help first responders and their families in their time of need. It could range from providing help with travel expenses and funeral expenses, to help with out-of-pocket expenses for medical and mental health needs. Depending on each unique situation we try to help as best we can,” Wright said.

Currently, the Eagle County Emergency Responders Fund is also raising funds to go toward the Zuckerman Memorial Fund. The final destination of this memorial fund has yet to be determined but will be decided by the organization’s board and the Zuckerman family.

“We are working with the family to decide how these funds can make the most impact and honor Steve Zuckerman. It could be a scholarship fund for those pursuing a responder career. It could be used to help his fellow first responders during a time of need,” Wright said.

To learn more about the Eagle County Emergency Responders Fund, visit ECERF.org .