SOUTHAVEN, Miss. – If you ask any longtime fan of the Mississippi RiverKings who the team’s most memorable player is, one name stands out among many – Don Parsons. On Saturday, the RiverKings will host a special pre-game ceremony featuring a video chronicling Parsons' career highlights, including his extensive community work. This will be followed by the unveiling of Parsons’ number 13 jersey, which is being retired.

Photo credit: Mississippi RiverKings

As captain of the RiverKings, Parsons is the all-time leader in points (522) and goals scored (290). He holds the franchise mark for goals scored in one season (57), and points in a season (113). He tallied 1,308 total career professional points and holds the all-time record for career goals (682) by a minor league hockey professional and for an American-born player at any professional level.

The Boston, Mass. native played NCAA hockey at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell before turning pro in 1992. During 16 seasons in minor professional hockey, Parsons played in five different leagues including the AHL, ECHL, IHL, UHL and CHL, with six seasons as a RiverKing.

He scored 14 playoff goals in both the 2002 and 2003 Ray Miron President’s Cup playoffs, leading the RiverKings to back-to-back Ray Miron President’s Cup Championships. He was a two-time CHL Most Valuable Player, the Playoff MVP in 2002, and league scoring champion in 2001. He was the CHL Man of the Year in 2004 and was selected to the 2005 all-CHL team. Parsons played in CHL All-Star games during each of his six years with the RiverKings, scoring eight goals and adding six assists in his appearances.

Known for his contributions off the ice as well, Parsons made a huge impact with his goals-for-charity program “Parsons’ Pledge”, in which fans and patrons could donate an amount of their choosing for every goal he scored or make a one-time donation, raising over $80,000 for selected charities during his time with the RiverKings.

He also helped organize and operate the Jr. RiverKings (now part of the Memphis Youth Hockey League) and the Jr. StreetKings youth hockey program, made numerous charitable appearances, aided other organizations’ fundraising goals and built a playground specially designed for participants in the deaf education program at the Lewisburg Elementary School.

Among the charities benefiting from Parsons’ efforts are the Memphis Oral School for the Deaf, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Mid-South, Inc., and the Palmer Home for Children.

The Parsons’ Pledge endowment at the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi was set up in 2003 and will continue to make grants in perpetuity.

Contact the author at robert.keith@prohockeynews.com