Anyone who's familiar with Brian Burke knows he is anything but quiet.
So it only seems fitting that the Toronto Maple Leafs general manager will be making a grand entrance into the city for the fifth, and final, new arena fundraising dinner Friday. Event organizers announced last week that Burke and his assistant GM in Toronto, Dave Nonis, would be arriving in Estevan via helicopter. The Leafs brain trust is expected to arrive around 2:30 p.m. at the Souris Valley Aquatic and Leisure and will attend the Estevan and District athlete of the year award presentation which is set for the lobby of Spectra Place shortly after they touchdown.
Along with attending the awards ceremony Burke and Nonis are two of featured speakers for this year's dinner which will be held later in the evening on the floor of Spectra Place. Joining Burke and Nonis on the dais will be Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant as well as another member of the Roughriders. It was initially expected CEO Jim Hopson would join Durant but he was apparently double booked is unable to attend. This is the second time a double booking has forced Hopson from the dinner. Either Gene Makowsky or Jeremy O'Day are expected to replace him.
There will also be a strong representation from the Trail Smoke Eaters hockey club as Norm Lenardon, Dave Rusnell and Wayne Florko are also part of Friday's program.
Joe Bowen, who is widely known as the voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs, is the master of ceremonies for the program and will also be arriving via helicopter with Burke and Nonis.
Although the speakers are the obvious highlight of the evening, the live auction has also become somewhat of a spotlight event given its success in past years.
This year's auction looks as though it should be another success as organizers have cobbled together another impressive list of items.
Leading the way is a new 2011 Ford F-150 fully loaded pick-up truck which has been donated by Senchuk Ford and the Senchuk family.
Popular items in the past, two trips are also part of the lineup Friday. Those in attendance will have the oppourtunity to bid on a trip for four to Toronto. The package includes four gold tickets to a Maple Leafs game where the winners will be greeted by members of the Leafs' organization and will have a chance to meet their favourite Leafs' player. The package also includes four tickets to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The other trip will take the winning bidders to the Big Apple for a New York Mets' baseball game and a tour of the NHL office.
There will also be a wide assortment of sports jerseys and memorabilia, ranging from a framed Jason Bay New York Mets' jersey to a Team Canada hockey jersey autographed by Hayley Wickenheiser.
