WINDSOR, N.S. — It was picture perfect weather when several retired hockey stars laced up their skates to try out the ice at Long Pond this past weekend.
The 2020 Long Pond Hockey Heritage Classic, a popular fundraiser for the Windsor Hockey Heritage Society, was held Jan. 25.
Special guests were retired NHL stars Marty McSorley, Bernie Nicolls and Joe DiPenta, plus guest coach Fiona Smith-Bell, who won a silver medal as part of Canada’s Olympic team in 1998. Other guests were Nick Greenough and Billy McGuigan.
DiPenta, who won a Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007, was stoked to be playing outdoor pond hockey.
“The highlight is it just brings you back to your youth. I remember playing a little pond hockey and a lot of street hockey and it's just what the game is all about,” said DiPenta after playing two morning games, rubbing shoulders with hockey fans and celebrity athletes alike.
“It's about having fun and this is just pure fun, pure joy when you're out there playing,” he said.
“You get guys of all different skill levels and ages and we just have a good time passing the puck and putting the puck in the net. It's just a real blast to be out there and it just brings you back to your roots and what the game is all about.”
DiPenta, who hails from Cole Harbour, played for the QMJHL Halifax Mooseheads in 1999-2000 before moving on to the American Hockey League and then the National Hockey League.
His Stanley Cup ring glistened in the sunlight as he showed it to admirers.
“Everyone's excited to see a Stanley Cup ring,” said DiPenta. “It's not something I wear all the time. So it's fun to bring it out and see the reaction... and I'm proud to have won the Stanley Cup and I feel like it's something that's meant to be shared with people.”
DiPenta said he would be happy to come back in future years to participate in the classic, and said other retired NHLers should consider doing so.
“This is where it all started. What a thing to reminisce over,” said DiPenta, referencing Windsor’s claim to being the Birthplace of Hockey. The sport was first referenced in Canadian literature as hurley on ice by Thomas Chandler Haliburton in the early 1800s.
“We all love the game. We're all hockey players. We're all big fans of playing and so we are just... thankful that they discovered it so we all have this great game to play.”
FANS ABOUND
No sooner did Fiona Smith-Bell arrive at Long Pond on Saturday morning than a young fan raced over to meet her. Smith-Bell, who relocated to Nova Scotia from out west, has multiple medals and accolades. For example, in 1998, she was a member of the Canadian National Women’s Hockey Team that won silver at the Olympic Winter Games.
“It's a fantastic experience; a real great honour to be here,” said Smith-Bell of the Long Pond Hockey Heritage Classic.
“It's just it's an absolute honour to see all the young people out here on the ice and playing the game that I love and have so much passion for,” she added.
Smith-Bell said she learned how to skate on a similar pond while growing up in Saskatchewan and said it was nice to see so many people enjoying themselves.
“I just think it's so important for people just to go out and have fun and play and, and I don't think there's enough of it, in my opinion,” said Smith-Bell.
“Nowadays, there's so much structure where we don't have that opportunity to go out and just be creative on our own and it seems like everything's all laid out for programs now. So this is wonderful just to be able to come out and play, and play with your family, and pick your own team. It's great.”
Smith-Bell was a guest coach for the young women’s teams taking the ice that day. She will be hosting Team Canada when they come to Halifax to compete in the 2020 IIHF Women's World Championship this April. The annual tournament showcases the top women's hockey teams in the world.
“If you haven't had the opportunity to come and watch female hockey, I'd encourage everybody in the Province of Nova Scotia to come and take in a game because you'll be very impressed with the quality and the finesse of the game and how much the game has grown since I was a part of the national team.”
Sean Harvey, of Halifax, drove to Windsor to meet the stars and get their autographs. It’s an annual trek he’s made for a number of years now — and one he thoroughly enjoys.
“Last year, I was able to meet Wendel Clark and Ron Duguay. The year before that, I'd met Ray Bourque and before that, I met Guy Lafleur. So it's really great to come out here to see all the guys who are playing and just the history of this area is just fantastic,” said Harvey.
Harvey was among the first people at Long Pond to approach McSorley, a versatile National Hockey League star who played from 1983 until 2000. He served as an enforcer for superstar Wayne Gretzky when he played for both the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings, and has two Stanley Cup rings.
He said McSorley was “very, very humble” and just a really nice guy to speak with. Harvey had McSorley’s rookie card with him and had it signed.
“It was really, really cool.”