Matt Carkner is still waiting to hear if the Ottawa Senators want him back next season, but that hasn’t stopped the rugged defenceman from doing his part to make hockey available to countless special needs children around the city.

For the past two seasons, Carkner has donated equipment, made regular appearances and recruited teammates to support the Capital City Condors, a hockey association for developmentally challenged children.

On Monday, Carkner was the guest of honour at the Condors first annual golf tournament at the Greyhawk Golf Club, with a goal of raising $10,000 to help expand the program. Currently, the Condors have 80 players – two teams in Rockland has been added to the original teams based in Kanata – but another 400 players from around the Ottawa area are on a waiting list to join.

“I wanted to help out in the community and I heard about the special needs team and the fact that it was just one team and, at the time, they had maybe 30-40 kids,” said Carkner. “I gave them some helmets, some sticks and track suits and I got to know the kids a little bit better and started going to some events. It has been amazing to see. It just brightens their day when they get out on the ice. Before this, they were limited to just watching their siblings play, because there was no way they could get on the ice.”

Since Carkner began donating his time, Senators wingers Chris Neil and Bobby Butler, along with defenceman Brian Lee, traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning from the Senators last February, have joined the effort.

Carkner and Neil, who was also at Monday’s tournament, were mobbed by Condors players as they arrived, earning smiles and high-fives as they greeted the players by name. “It’s amazing how excited they are on the ice and it’s about also about them interacting with other kids, as well,” said Neil.

Condors founder and president Jim Perkins has lofty goals for the future. The Condors association was recently awarded as host for a Special Hockey International tournament in April, 2015, with more than 100 teams expected to attend. Eventually, Perkins would like to see every NHL team be associated with a special needs hockey program in their community.

“That’s kind of a dream, since we’ve seen the growth here and the (NHL) players’ presence has increased our visibility and confidence that this program wasn’t going to disappear,” said Perkins, who has received favourable reactions to the idea in Boston, Chicago and Raleigh, home of the Carolina Hurricanes. “There are programs out there, in some cities, and it would mean marrying what’s already there.”

Carkner, meanwhile, has returned to the gym after the Senators’ disappointing first round playoff loss to the New York Rangers, hopeful the team will re-sign him for the 2012-13 season. He becomes an unrestricted free agent if still unsigned by July 1, but he has yet to hear from Senators general manager Bryan Murray.

“I’m not knocking on anyone’s door to get talks started, but I was assuming we would have some communication at some point,” he said. “He’s working on the younger guys and figuring that kind of thing out, but coming into July, I’m sure there are going to be some talks and I’m very optimistic that something can get done.”

Carkner, who is from Winchester, says staying with the Senators is his first choice.

“This is obviously my home town, the best case scenario, but it all depends if I get offers (from other teams) and what they are.”

kwarren@ottawacitizen.com

Follow on Twitter: @Citizenkwarren

Tags: Chris Neil, feature, Matt Carkner, Ottawa Senators