BY SCOTT HADDOW
On Friday, March 3, Sudbury hockey fans
attending the 2006 Cambrian Foundation Fundraiser dinner better
keep their heads up or else they could have them knocked
off.
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CROWDER |
The dinner this year features legendary NHL
tough guys from the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.
The headliners include former Montreal
Canadiens scrapper John Ferguson Sr., former Philadelphia thug
Dave 'The Hammer' Schultz, former Chicago
Blackhawks bad boy Al Secord and New Jersey
Devils knock-out king Troy Crowder. The latter two both hail
from the Sudbury area, giving fans a local flavour to
savour.
Ferguson was considered the hardiest fighters
of his era and helped keep the stars of the team safe from
harm.
The mere mention of Schulz's name, even when
said to people who never seen him play, conjures up images of
crazy hair, a big moustache and wild flying fists. Most
remember Schultz's savage beating on New York Ranger Dale Rolfe
in the 70s.
Secord was a classic combination of brawn and
skill. Secord piled up 273 career goals along with over 2,000
penalty minutes in 723 games.
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Legendary tough guys like Dave
Schultz and Al Secord visit Sudbury on Friday as part
of an event to raise funds for student bursaries. |
Crowder stepped out of minor obscurity during
the 1990-91 NHL season when he absolutely pounded Bob Probert,
who was considered the reigning heavyweight champion of the
league and arguably the toughest pugilist of all time.
Crowder then went on a streak of rag-dolling
foes before meeting Probert two more times in an epic series of
rematches at the Joe Louis Arena later on in the season.
"We ran a Toronto Maple Leafs theme in year
one and a goalie theme in year two, so we went with a tough
guys theme this year," said Shawn Poland, executive director of
the Cambrian Foundation. "We're looking to provide local hockey
fans with diversity and provide them with a northern
connection. We've done that by having Secord and Crowder
involved."
Once again, fans will be able to mingle
up-close-and-personal with the rugged players and ask them
questions about their careers.
"Hearing first-hand anecdotes from well-known
players is something fans can relate to and appreciate. It
provides some unique perspectives on the game."
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Legendary tough guys like Dave
Schultz and Al Secord visit Sudbury on Friday as part
of an event to raise funds for student bursaries. |
Schultz is thrilled to be coming back to
Sudbury.
"I was in Sudbury with the Sorel Black Hawks
in 1968-69," said Schultz. "We played the Sudbury Wolves on the
road to the Memorial Cup finals. They didn't like us too much
because we beat them pretty good."
Schultz relishes the intimacy with
fans.
"I love it," said Schultz. "I am sure there's
some Flyers fans in Sudbury. It's a lot of fun meeting
different people, especially hockey fans."
Schultz lead the NHL in penalty minutes four
times in his career, and still holds the record for penalty
minutes in one season, with 472 in 1974-75.
Eating knuckle sandwiches for a living wasn't
easy.
"You always had to be ready," said the
Saskatchewan native. "The role wasn't fun, but the rewards and
being recognized by everyone was."
Schultz lists former Boston thug Terry
O'Reilly as one of his toughest foes.
"He was ready to go all the time and was a
major leader."
Schultz doesn't enjoy the new NHL, especially
with the curb on fighting and not allowing players to protect
teammates.
"They should get rid of the instigator rule,"
said Schultz. "Too many guys are getting injured due to cheap
shots. Nobody can do anything about it because they get
penalized harder for going after those guys who do that. They
wouldn't have got away with it when I played. I had one,
slight
concussion in my career. "
The evening kicks off at 6 pm at the Cambrian
Foundation. All proceeds are matched dollar-for-dollar by the
Province of Ontario's Trust for Student Support program, which
is used to create a permanent bursary endowment for Cambrian
students.
Last year's event raised $44,000.
