Muskie quintet relishes stint with Legends

It’s the dream of every kid who’s ever laced up a pair of skates, and picked up a hockey stick, to one day skate in the NHL.
Five members of the Muskie boys’ hockey—Mitch Green, Joe Basaraba, Mike Jourdain, Cody McCool, and George Halverson—experienced the next best thing to playing in the NHL when they were given the opportunity to compete alongside some of the league’s all-time greats here Friday night.
The quintet teamed up with Hall of Famers Bryan Trottier, Billy Smith, and Dale Hawerchuk, as well as former NHL’ers Glenn Anderson, Bob Bourne, and Gary Leeman, to take on the local Hopper’s Bruins in a charity game at the Ice for Kids Arena.
Needless to say, the experience is one none of the high school players will forget anytime soon.
“I was just excited,” said Green, who is captain of the Muskie squad. “The whole town came out.
“To play with those guys, they were in the NHL, I was 10 feet off the ground,” he added.
“It was a great time,” added Basaraba. “I learned lots that’s for sure.
“Just being out with those guys helps your game so much and makes you an all-around better player.”
While none of the five Muskies were strangers to competing in big games in front of large crowds, at least one of them admitted to having a few butterflies prior to Friday night’s contest.
“Oh, I was definitely nervous,” Basaraba said. “I had a little bug in my stomach but after that first shift, I felt good.”
The Muskies got the chance to play alongside each of the former NHL’ers over the course of the game—and they played a crucial role in the 11-8 win over the Bruins.
“It was great to have them,” former Edmonton Oilers’ great Glenn Anderson said. “We definitely needed them.
“It’s always great to see fresh legs and a young attitude,” he added. “It was a lot of fun. It was fun for us and I’m sure it was fun for them.”
“I thought they played great,” added Gary Leeman, a one-time 50 goal scorer for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“They all came with some energy, which is great for us. It’s nice to have young legs in the room.
“We gave them a chance to play with everybody,” Leeman noted. “You could critique every one of them individually but overall, they certainly know how to play hockey in the north here, which is nice to see.”
The Legends were not shy in offering advice to their young teammates.
“I think we can always give them few little bits of advice to help them,” former Winnipeg Jets’ great Dale Hawerchuk said.
“The big thing I always stress with young players is to get their feet moving all the time when you get that puck and head-man it as soon as possible.
“You have people available open ahead of you, so get the puck to them.”
“The big that I noticed is that they were giving the puck away in the middle of the ice,” Anderson noted.
“If they can avoid that and play along the boards and play to the outside where the game is supposed to be played, they’re going to be a lot more successful.”
Constructive criticism aside, each of the former NHL’ers said they enjoyed playing with their young teammates and that they wished them future success in their hockey careers.
“These kids like to skate and like to play physical,” Trottier said. “It’s great to see.
“We wish the Muskies good luck and we hope that they have continued success, as well,” he added.