One thing that Peter Quarles did not expect when he got involved with organizing an annual charity hockey tournament was that it would turn into a calling card of sorts.

“It becomes you,” says the 43-year-old advisor with Montreal-based investment dealer MacDougall MacDougall and McTier Inc. , for which he has worked for the past two and a half years. “It gets to the point at which you begin to be associated with it, known by your involvement with it. That was the biggest surprise for me.”

Two years ago, a friend of his, Gary Scullion, told Quarles about an initiative in which Scullion was involved called Hockey for the Homeless (www.hockeyforthehomeless.com), a one-day annual hockey tournament that raises money for Montreal’s homeless and needy. The program was started in Toronto in 1996, and the idea was to duplicate the event in Montreal. Quarles didn’t need much persuading to join.

“In this city, the problem of homelessness is right in your face,” Quarles says. “And there are more and more youth on the street now. This was a real wake-up call.”

That first year, the event drew eight teams, each with about 14 players, and it raised $76,000. Last year, 10 teams took to the ice and raised more than $125,000. The money comes from the players, who each kick in at least $250, and individual and corporate sponsors, who, depending on their contribution, receive varying degrees of exposure from being a part of the event. This year’s event will take place in November.

“Being involved in this really make you feel good about yourself,” Quarles says.

Hockey for the Homeless works with several local charitable organizations with expertise in getting relief to those who need it the most. Part of the money goes toward long-term infrastructure initiatives, while other funds and resources go into “survivor kits” — sturdy knapsacks filled with essentials such as a sleeping bag, socks, scarves and ready-to-eat food — to help the homeless get through Canadian winters.

Quarles does a lot of the legwork required to put together a tournament: he recruits players and sponsors, co-ordinates the event itself and takes care of the details. One thing he chooses not to do, however, is play in the tournament. “I’m capable of playing hockey, but my background is in skiing,” says Quarles, whose family is known in Montreal for its involvement in that sport. Quarles’ father, Jim, was a member of the national ski team in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Quarles, an 18-year veteran of the advisory business, derives a lot of pleasure in watching the event come together. Most of the players who sign up are businessmen between the ages of 25 and 55. The teams are created by the organizers through a draft, filling up each team with a balance of better and less skilled players. Also, the organizers are usually able to get a handful of former NHLers to turn out, such as ex-Montreal Canadiens left winger Sergio Momesso, and each team usually features one of these players. Each player receives his own uniform and the organizers treat participants like pros.

“Everyone’s reaction is: ‘Wow! We walk into the dressing room, there’s our uniform and a grab bag full of stuff from sponsors.’ They rave about the event,” Quarles says. “That’s rewarding. And, you know, if I’m dragging out 50 guys whom I’ve signed up, we have to deliver.”

Quarles says he would love to see the Hockey for the Homeless concept go across Canada. “I think it has a good chance of being significant on a national scale,” he says.

Quarles admits that balancing his work for Hockey for the Homeless with his career and his family life — Quarles and his wife, Donna, have a three-year-old son, Connor — can be a challenge. But, he says, the pros greatly outweigh the cons.

“When you think that we raised $125,000 this year, it’s a good feeling,” he says. “Even if it’s only one person whom we help, just having an impact is great.” IE