Around Town: Sittler, Savard and Oates among players in Sens Alumni & NHL Celebrity Cup

Oh, the dilemma: whether to skate alongside Darryl Sittler, Denis Savard or their fellow Hall of Famer Adam Oates, or maybe with former fan favourite Wade Redden, who was part of the Ottawa Senators’ journey to the 2007 Stanley Cup finals.
With 16 hockey greats to chose from, one couldn’t go wrong at the celebrity Draft Party held Thursday at the Brookstreet Hotel in Kanata.

Each corporate team participating in the third annual WSP Sens Alumni & NHL Celebrity Cup got to recruit one former pro hockey player to join their team for Friday’s fun and friendly tournament at the Bell Sensplex (with, perhaps, some swapping of locker-room tales between games).

The teams that raised the most moola for charity got to go first. That meant the Jets, which brought in more than $27,000, had top pick. Its captains, Perry Mody and prominent lawyer Lawrence Greenspon, went with Savard. Like there was ever any doubt.
“I’m not a good hockey player, just average,” Mody told Around Town at the start of the Draft Party. “So, you know, the joy of playing with some of your childhood heroes is unbelievable, and Denis Savard is a hero of mine.”

From left, Hockey Hall of Famer Denis Savard was first pick by the top fundraising Jets team, led by Perry Mody and Lawrence Greenspon, at the Draft Party held at Brookstreet Hotel on Thursday, April 14, 2016,.

Celebrity players also included: Radek Bonk, Laurie Boschman, Guy Carbonneau, Shean Donovan, Petr Klima, Mike Krushelnyski, Brad May, Randy Robitaille, André Roy, Brian Skrudland, Ron Tugnutt and Shaun Van Allen.
Martin Sing was there on behalf of the title sponsor, engineering firm WSP, while Sandy McDonald was representing presenting sponsor Bell.

This year, the corporate teams, alone, raised just shy of $200,000 for the Ottawa Senators Foundation and its efforts to give children and youth in the community the social recreation opportunities and resources to be physically fit and mentally healthy. The event netted $150,000 last year.

The crowd of about 250 helped itself to hot dogs, mini corn dogs and sliders, along with drinks, before the draft picks got underway. Liam Maguire, who possesses an uncanny knowledge of hockey, introduced the eight Sens alumni and eight NHL celebrities to the stage. The players seemed relaxed and happy to be there. “For those who are too young to remember, I played for the Leafs when they used to make the playoffs,” joked Sittler.

The team captains took turns announcing their choices (the last four teams picked randomly). The drafted players then signed one-day contracts with their new team.

The tournament ended Friday with a game between the celebrity all-stars and those who raised the most money. Mody made sure he stayed among the top fundraisers by arriving to the Draft Party with a blank cheque and credit card that he was ready to use, if necessary.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca