THUNDER BAY – Since he entered the National Hockey League with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1970, Darryl Sittler has been involved with Easter Seals.
The Hockey Hall of Fame inductee was saluted for his work earlier this year as he received the charity’s Conn Smythe Lifetime Achievement Award in Toronto.
“There’s a special place in my heart for them,” Sittler said.
Sittler was helping to give back once again on Friday at the Thunder Bay Tournament Centre as he served as a celebrity coach during the seventh annual Easter Seals Celebrity Hockey Classic.
“Hockey is a part of many Canadians’ fabric,” Sittler said. “When you come to a town like this, all these guys are married with kids and they have jobs, but they still love playing hockey.
“I get to be part of a special weekend with them.”
Thunder Bay’s Patrick Sharp was taking part in the event for the first time and said it was great to be back at his home rink to raise money for a good cause.
“I did some skates with Easter Seals a long time ago when I was first starting in the NHL so it was nice to reconnect with them and help out again,” Sharp added.
“This event has reminded me what a great community Thunder Bay is and there are some real good people up in this area.”
This year’s lineup also included former NHLers Todd Gill, Andre Roy, Mike Krushelnyski, Brian McGrattan, Dave Ellett and Thunder Bay’s Carter Hutton.
Ken Reid of Sportsnet was the emcee for Thursday’s draft dinner, where the players were picked to go on their teams for Friday’s games with members of the public.
Rhonda Harrison, who is the community engagement manager for Easter Seals’ northern region, said that the event has become the biggest of the year for the charity.
“When we first started out, people weren’t entirely sure what we were doing,” Harrison said. “But once you experience the event and you get the new faces that come in each year, it’s always an exciting and entertaining event.”
This year’s tournament raised $190,000, which will be used to help purchase equipment such as wheelchairs and walkers and also provide summer camp opportunities for kids with physical disabilities across the region.
