Locked-out 2010 Blackhawks hosting charity game

• Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Brian Campbell among 2010 Blackhawks participants
• Niklas Backstrom, Ryan Suter, Kimmo Timonen among World team members
• Burish says it will be real hockey featuring back-checking and defense

Two weeks ago, San Jose Sharks forward Adam Burish was looking for something to do during the NHL lockout when his agent Bill Zito planted a seed that soon blossomed into a major a charity event.

Zito suggested Burish put together a charity hockey game, and in 14 days the two of them have put together an All-Star event at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., that features many members of the Blackhawks' 2010 Stanley Cup championships team. The expectation is to draw 10,000 fans Friday and raise $250,000 for the Ronald McDonald House.

"An hour after I started telling everyone about it, I had at least 12 emails back and guys were excited about it," said Burish, who played for that Chicago team.

The Chicago team will include Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, Patrick Kane, Brian Campbell, Troy Brouwer and James Wisniewski. Niklas Backstrom, Ryan Suter, Ville Leino, Kimmo Timonen, Tom Gilbert and Shawn Thornton are among those who will play for the World Team.

"I can't imagine Friday there will be a better hockey game going on anywhere," Burish said.

Burish said the players, working to stay in shape during the lockout, are happy to have a competitive game on their schedule.

"We aren't going to kill each other, but we want to have a good hockey game," Burish said. "This is going to be a real hockey game. Guys are going to try to score, and back-check. The guys are going to play defense. The idea is raise a lot of money for kids and families who need it, and have fun doing it."

When Kane agreed to play for EHC Biel in the Swiss League this week, he immediately sent a text to Burish telling him that he wouldn't report to his new team until after the game.

"That is pretty cool," Burish said. "People who don't know him, don't know that side of him. But when I played in Chicago, we were best buddies and that's the side of him that I know. This is a class act on his part, but I don't expect anything else from him."

Winnipeg Jets captain Andrew Ladd, another member of the 2010 Blackhawks, is making a trip from Winnipeg to play in the game, and Kris Versteeg is flying up from Florida, where he now plays for the Panthers.

"The perfect situation would be that we wake up tomorrow and there is going to be a full NHL season, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen unfortunately," Burish said. "So let's give fans the closest thing we can to NHL hockey."

Chicago Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster and television personality Jenny McCarthy have committed to being celebrity coaches.