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April 8, 2005
Playing hockey for charities
Former NHL stars and JCC sportsmen wow crowd at Kerrisdale Arena.
KYLE BERGER
For some Vancouver hockey fans, it was simply a day to forget about
labor negotiations and lockouts. For members of the Jewish Community
Centre of Greater Vancouver's hockey league (JCCGVHL), it was an
opportunity for some dreams to come true. For everyone involved,
it was a chance to raise money for valuable charities.
Playing in front of a crowd of more than 400 cheering fans and friends
at the Kerrisdale Arena, the JCCGVHL all-stars joined 14 members
of the Vancouver Canucks' Alumni team for the first annual JCCGV
All-Star Hockey Extravaganza. The two teams were mixed with JCC
and Canuck players, giving the men from the recreational league
a feel for the high level of professional hockey.
"This was, without a doubt, a day I won't ever forget,"
said JCC athlete Jory Simkin, whose dream came true when he scored
a goal off a pass from his NHL idol, Dave Babych. "This is
definitely the highlight of my hockey career."
The biggest star from the JCC line-up was Jeremy Bryant, who scored
four goals for his team. Bryant also scored the first goal of the
game, receiving the gift of a Canucks home jersey at centre ice
before being hit with a pie in the face – one of several antics
pulled by the alumni players.
Bryant's successful day continued later that night when he was awarded
the JCCGVHL's Most Valuable Player Award at the league's year-end
awards banquet at the centre's Wosk Auditorium.
Some of the former NHL players in the All-Star Extravaganza game
included Jyrki Lumme, Bill Ranford, Babych, Gary Nylund and former
Canucks captain Chris Oddleifson.
During the warm-up, Oddleifson talked about the opportunity to support
charities by playing the game that he loves.
"It's a lot of fun when you have a great group of guys to play
with and great fans to come out and help raise money for charity,"
he said. "This is just a blast."
The money raised went to a variety of programs via the Canucks Alumni
scholarship funds and the JCC.
The game also featured the voice of John Ashbridge, the familiar
announcer at all Vancouver Canucks home games. Josh Barkoff, who
works the music and sound board at the Vancouver Giants and B.C.
Lions games, also contributed his talents to the event.
After the game, which finished with a 9-7 victory for Team White,
members of both teams stuck around to sign autographs for the fans.
Kyle Berger is a freelance journalist and graphic designer
living in Richmond. He organized the JCCGV All-Star Hockey Extravaganza.
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