- Anaheim GM Brian Burke on Mountain FM's Overtime (Part 1, Part 2)
- New York Rangers Coach Tom Renney on Mountain FM's Overtime
- Former NHL star Danny Gare on Mountain FM's Overtime
- Former NHL star Ceasar Maniago on Mountain FM's Overtime
- Former World Champion Norm Lenardon on Mountain FM's Overtime (Part 1, Part 2)
- Former NHL star Tim Lenardon on Mountain FM's Overtime
A lot of people will call Anaheim GM Brian Burke a lot of things. As a guy who has grown up an Edmonton Oilers fan I know there have been a few times when I disagreed with something he said. However, Burke showed how much of a loyal and generous person he is. He once made a promise to Norm Lenardon that if he ever needed him for a charity, Burke would be there. Norm made the call this year, and true to his word Burke flew in to Trail on the one night he was able to make available. The outspoken Anaheim GM donated his time, money and several auction items to bring in cash to the two local charities. It was something to watch him during the auction. At one point Burke didn't like the bid on the Scott Niedermayer jersey so he threw in four tickets to a Ducks/Canucks game, a pre-game meal, a chance to meet the Ducks and the opportunity to hang out in his private box. He also gave the room hell when they wouldn't put up a good enough price. That's how you work an auction. You don't have to agree with everything he says, but you don't hear enough about that charitable side of Burke in all the media coverage.
He also commented a little bit on the war of words with Kevin Lowe. No, he didn't add anything that might get him in trouble with the NHL. Burke merely stated that he wouldn't take back a single thing he said. Not a word, not a verb, not a noun, not an adverb, etc.
An interesting part of our conversation was about the Stanley Cup hangover. If you look back at most of the recent winners and finalists in the NHL, they usually end up missing the playoffs or losing in the first round. Burke believes it's just hard to get back into gear after working that extra two months and spending the summer partying. We'll see if Detroit and Pittsburgh suffer the same fate.
Another local name that you can always count on for Smokies fundraisers is New York Rangers Coach Tom Renney. I know at the very least he was also in town for last year's dinner. Renney is one of the friendliest, well spoken men I've met in hockey circles. He clearly still appreciates the years he had coaching and working in Trail. That's where he met his wife and became connected to the Gare family. You often hear Renney got his start in the WHL, but he truly got his start behind the Smoke Eaters bench. He definitely doesn't forget that.
As for his Rangers, Renney likes the moves they've made. He says you can't hope to replace Jagr with one player, but the additions they've made should help turn them into a faster paced, puck possession team. The Rangers have had two good runs to the second round in a row. Now it's time for them to take the next step. With their young players developing and some new veteran additions in Naslund and Redden things could be interesting in New York this year. If they do make it to the big dance, it'd be great to see Renney holding the Cup.
Talking to Nelson's Danny Gare you could tell how important the connection to the ALS Society was to him as well. Gare's father Ernie died of ALS in the 80s and he's done a lot of work raising money for the cause. He's one of the greatest players in this region's history. Gare now works as a colour commentator for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He told me they made some strong moves and should be a fun team to watch. Hard not to like seeing Rick Nash 82 times a year!
Ceasare Maniago was also there. He made the point that you never lose your connection to Trail. Even living in Vancouver he says he's always getting together with gangs of people from home. Ceasare never turns down a chance to help out the Smokies. He owes them after taking the Allan Cup from them back in '61! Ceasare's jersey was also the highest selling item at the auction. There may have been prizes with more actual worth, but the sentimental value was enough to bring in $5000 for Maniago's duds. The jersey will proudly hang at the Terra Nova in Trail for years to come.
That's just the beginning of all the guys who were there. Harold Snepsts, Ron Delorme, Pat Price, etc. The Lenardon name and the Smoke Eaters name lured some big fish to town and raised some big money.
I also want to give some props to former Smoke Eater Kevin Koopman. The other guys left him all by himself displaying the auction items. You're a trooper, Kevin. Good luck at Brown next year! If the NHL and being a doctor doesn't pan out, maybe you could go work on the Price is Right. I should also mention that Koop won a closest to the pin at Birchbank on Saturday. I still think he rigged it.
At the golf tournament I got the chance to play with Ray St. Jean and the former voice of the Smokies Ian Douglas. They both put me to shame. Ray especially is an unbelievably good golfer. Sadly the best we were able to do as a team was match his handicap with a round of even par. I'm not sure if any of my drives landed in the fairway on Saturday. Ian's actually a pretty darn good golfer himself. Especially given the fact that he hadn't played all year before the Travis Green and Smokies events. It says something about the connection people can feel to this community that Ian keeps coming back. We saw him at the World Junior A Challenge in the fall and he's back again a few months later. Hopefully I'll be able to retain that connection if I ever move on. I'd like to think I would.
Congrats and thanks to all the Smokies volunteers who made this event possible again this year. Word from Tom is that they've done great business this year. The community again proved that when worth causes come calling, you can always count on the Kootenays.
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