NHL alumni and York Regional Police face off for good cause
A group of former NHL players faced off against York Regional Police officers in Newmarket Sunday afternoon to raise funds for Special Olympics programs across the province.
The NHL alumni roster featured Stanley Cup champions Mike Krushelnyski, Bryan Muir and Keith Acton, former Toronto Maple Leafs Rick Vaive, Frank Corrado, Peter Holland and Wes Jarvis, as well as Zenon Kenopka and Adam Munro. Former Leaf Dave Hutchison officiated the matchup.
"In my early Edmonton days, we had a few kids that we tried to help out and associate with," recalled Krushelnyski, who won all three of his Stanley Cups with the Oilers in the 1980s. "Once I retired, I got away from the game a little bit, but fortunately, the NHL brought us back. So for us, it's all about just trying to go out there, trying to put a smile on a player's face, and then afterwards trying to put a smile on a kid's face."
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
The game was part of the NHL Alumni Benefit Tour, which aims to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition for Special Olympics athletes.
"It helps raise funds and awareness for the athletes to participate," said Detective Kevin Selwood from York Regional Police. "It [helps] them with travel expenses for games, equipment, just to get to the games themselves. It gives them all the funds they need and supports them in their training during the year."
Last year's NHL Alumni event raised more than $20,000 to support those initiatives. Vaive says it is a cause that hits home for him.
"I had an uncle who was handicapped and blind, and I used to go play records for him all the time and sing with him for hours," recalled the former Canuck, Leaf, Blackhawk and Sabre. "Those were very important memorable moments for me."
As for the game itself, the NHL alumni squad won by a narrow score of 8-7.
"It's tough when you only have two lines," joked Vaive. "I'm used to playing with three and four lines but not two, so it's been a little bit draining. But nonetheless, we're having fun."
"They give us a little bit of rope, but they're very good," added Det. Selwood with a laugh. "It gives you an idea of how good they are and how good we aren't."
The NHL Alumni Benefit Tour's next stop is in Whitby in late December.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Donald Trump picks former U.S. congressman Pete Hoekstra as ambassador to Canada
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has nominated former diplomat and U.S. congressman Pete Hoekstra to be the American ambassador to Canada.
Genetic evidence backs up COVID-19 origin theory that pandemic started in seafood market
A group of researchers say they have more evidence to suggest the COVID-19 pandemic started in a Chinese seafood market where it spread from infected animals to humans. The evidence is laid out in a recent study published in Cell, a scientific journal, nearly five years after the first known COVID-19 outbreak.
This is how much money you need to make to buy a house in Canada's largest cities
The average salary needed to buy a home keeps inching down in cities across Canada, according to the latest data.
'My two daughters were sleeping': London Ont. family in shock after their home riddled with gunfire
A London father and son they’re shocked and confused after their home was riddled with bullets while young children were sleeping inside.
Smuggler arrested with 300 tarantulas strapped to his body
Police in Peru have arrested a man caught trying to leave the country with 320 tarantulas, 110 centipedes and nine bullet ants strapped to his body.
Boissonnault out of cabinet to 'focus on clearing the allegations,' Trudeau announces
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced embattled minister Randy Boissonnault is out of cabinet.
Baby dies after being reported missing in midtown Toronto: police
A four-month-old baby is dead after what Toronto police are calling a “suspicious incident” at a Toronto Community Housing building in the city’s midtown area on Wednesday afternoon.
Sask. woman who refused to provide breath sample did not break the law, court finds
A Saskatchewan woman who refused to provide a breath sample after being stopped by police in Regina did not break the law – as the officer's request was deemed not lawful given the circumstances.
Parole board reverses decision and will allow families of Paul Bernardo's victims to attend upcoming parole hearing in person
The families of the victims of Paul Bernardo will be allowed to attend the serial killer’s upcoming parole hearing in person, the Parole Board of Canada (PBC) says.