The wonderful thing about charity events is that there often are multiple winners.
Such was the case here Friday night when a group of NHL Legends suited up against the local Hopper’s Bruins in front of a packed house at the Ice for Kids Arena in an effort to raise money for the “Just Imagine” campaign for a CT Scanner at La Verendrye Hospital.
First, there were the literal winners.
The NHL Legends team—comprised of Hall of Famers Bryan Trottier, Dale Hawerchuk, and Billy Smith, along with Glenn Anderson, Bob Bourne, and Gary Leeman—skated to an 11-8 win over the Bruins much to the delight of the fans in attendance.
“They were skating like mad dogs that first period,” Trottier said of the Bruins after the game. “I’d never seen them come out with that kind of speed and energy.
“We gave it everything we had,” he added.
“There was a moment there where I thought to myself, ‘If I backcheck too hard, I won’t have enough for the offence,’ but then I said, ‘We aren’t scoring a lot of goals here, so I better backcheck a little bit.’
“I think both teams really had a lot of jump,” Trottier added.
Then there were the symbolic winners.
Hockey fans—both young and old—from across the district watched as the NHL greats of yester-year demonstrated that, while they may not be as quick on their skates as they once were, they still could entertain a crowd with their rare skill sets.
“It was very entertaining,” declared Rob Budreau of International Falls, who made the trip across the river to watch Hawerchuk compete.
“I used to go watch him in Winnipeg when he was with the Jets,” he said.
“It was fun. Entertaining,” added Rhondelle Korpi.
“I think they hammed it up through the whole game,” laughed Ron Korpi, who likened the Legends to the Harlem Globetrotters.
But above it all, there were the real winners.
While the exact figures had not been tallied as of press time, all the money raised from Friday night’s game will be donated to the “Just Imagine” fundraiser—a worthy cause that will benefit every resident across the district for years to come.
“The bottom line of the night was that the big winner was the CT Scan,” said Trottier. “That was in everybody’s heart here, to try and make the goal, and we’re glad to be a small part of it.”
“It gives you goosebumps when you get out onto the ice and you see that many people,” added organizer Bob Mainville. “The town really supports it and that’s great.”
The large turnout was somewhat of a surprise to Mainville—given ticket sales were slow leading up to the event.
“People always wait until the last minute,” he remarked. “I was trying to get out of the house at 6:30 p.m. and the phone was ringing steady with people wanting tickets.
“You have a month-and-a-half to get tickets in advance and they wait right until the last minute, so obviously it keeps us on pins-and-needles,” Mainville admitted.
“[Then] all of a sudden, you get this crowd, which I was very, very happy with.”
< *c>The game
Charity games often resemble all-star contests in that neither team skates particularly hard, the players spend more time chatting then they do actually playing, and the goals come at a fast and furious pace.
However, this most certainly was not an average charity game.
The Bruins came out flying against the Legends—looking to repeat last year’s winning effort. As such, the fans were treated to a fast-paced game in which neither team was prepared to lose.
“Overall, I think the fans got a very entertaining game,” Trottier remarked. “There was lots of intensity and there was a lot of good spirit out there.”
And while no one seemed particularly interested in the score, the first period ended in a 1-1 tie.
During the first intermission, two Fort Frances IP1 teams—the Flyers and Bruins—scrimmaged under the watchful eye of the NHL Legends.
The second period saw the game shift into a more free-flowing affair as the goals came at a faster pace. Every time one of the Legends scored, they tossed a signed puck into the stands—much to the delight of the raucous crowd.
“I’ll tell you, we were sure happy to see the kind of crowd we had and the enthusiasm of the kids,” Trottier said. “We were tossing pucks up there and they were really getting into it.
“The whole area can feel proud about the response and how everyone got involved.”
The six former NHL’ers then squared off against six of the Hopper’s Bruins in a shootout during the second intermission—the highlight coming when Leeman fired a puck into the net by kicking his stick.
“That’s my new patented move,” Leeman joked afterwards. “I started doing that last year.
“It’s about entertainment,” he added. “The fans see the regular penalty shot all the time now so if there’s something new we can entertain them with, we do.
“That’s my new move now.”
The Legends built a hefty lead in the third period, then fended off a late Bruins’ comeback attempt en route to the 11-8 victory.
For their part, despite losing the game, the Bruins simply were happy to have had the opportunity to skate against some of hockey’s best players of a generation ago.
“It’s a great experience,” Bruins’ forward Wayne Strachan said. “Just to meet those guys, it’s a great honour and an experience.
“The stories they have, it’s kind of like a kid in a candy store listening to them and learning their knowledge of the game and what they’ve been through.”
< *c>The visit
As has been the tradition in recent years, the NHL Legends spent Friday afternoon visiting schools in town prior to lacing up their skates that night.
“We were in the schools last year and they all remembered us, which was fantastic,” Trottier said.
“We reminded the kids what the whole idea is, which is to encourage them to finish up school but at the same time enjoy themselves,” he added.
“We want them to start thinking about what they want to do in life and make some good choices along the way because there are a lot of distractions along the way, whether it’s Internet or things that aren’t healthy, like drugs or alcohol.
“We didn’t pontificate at all, but what we really wanted to make sure was that the kids heard that we were their age at one time and although we didn’t grow up in a small town like Fort Frances, you still need the support of the community and your family and friends to make it.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re playing hockey or whatever career choice you make, it’s great to get that support and that’s what they get here in Fort Frances.”
< *c>The future
Trottier said Fort Frances has become one of the best stops of the “Legends” tour in Northwestern Ontario and the players already are eager to come back next year.
In fact, if Trottier has his way, the former NHL’ers may find themselves back in town sooner rather than later.
“We want to come back and enjoy the summer here somehow,” he said. “It’s supposed to be spectacular.
“It’s a great place to come and play hockey because everything is about hockey here but at the same time, it’s nice to enjoy some of the summertime activities, whether it’s boating, fishing, or a little bit of hunting.
“Everything is first-class around here and we’d like to come back and enjoy some of that,” Trottier added.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
