ESTEVAN -
Hockey fans in the Estevan area had the opportunity to listen to a pair of legendary athletes during the Estevan Bruins' annual Sportsman's Dinner Thursday night at the Power Dodge Curling Centre.
Hockey Hall of Fame inductees Doug Gilmour and Paul Coffey spoke to a crowd of nearly 400 people. Many of them were wearing Toronto Maple Leafs jerseys with Gilmour's No. 93, or Edmonton Oilers jerseys with Coffey's No. 7.
Gilmour and Coffey were teammates with Team Canada's victorious entry in the 1987 Canada Cup. Gilmour won the Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames in 1989 and had his best seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1990s.
Coffey won the Stanley Cup with the Edmonton Oilers in 1984, 1985 and 1987, and with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991. He also won the Canada Cup in 1984, 1987 and 1991.
The duo took time to chat with fans and sign autographs throughout the night. They also participated in a hot-stove session with master of ceremonies Rob Mahon, who is the Bruins' former play-by-play commentator and now handles the same role for the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League.
The two legends shared stories from their hockey careers and of the unique people they met through the game.
During interviews with the Mercury, Gilmour and Coffey both marvelled at the community, the people and the support shown for the Bruins. They also praised Affinity Place, which they toured before the start of the banquet.
"It [Affinity Place] is nicer than some of the junior A rinks back in Ontario," said Gilmour. "You guys have to be very proud and it's amazing. Walking around there, walking in the dressing room, for a town of this size, it has to be a dream for some young kids to come here to play."
He noted the connection between the Estevan Bruins and the NHL's Boston Bruins, and how Boston used to have a training camp in Gilmour's hometown of Kingston, Ont., each year.
Gilmour said he does a lot of speaking engagements and hot-stove sessions in which people will ask questions and look forward to stories.
"We flew into Regina, and I hadn't been to Regina since my draft year (in 1982), when I was drafted to St. Louis. Our training camp was in Regina," said Gilmour.
He's surprised at how many people still remember him. While the highlight of his career was winning the Stanley Cup with Calgary in 1989, people remember him the most for his performance during the Toronto Maple Leafs' run to the Western Conference Final in 1993 and 1994.
Gilmour noted that during the COVID-19 pandemic, when networks were unable to run live hockey, they aired classic games instead, with some games from the Leafs runs.
He sat down and watched Game 6 of the 1993 Western Conference Final against the Los Angeles Kings, when officials missed a high-sticking call by Wayne Gretzky on Gilmour.
"I watched it, and I was almost frustrated at the TV. I was getting emotions back and I don't need that," he said, taking off his glasses to show the scar he still has on his nose. "It's been overwhelming, and we didn't get to the finals, but we had some good runs."
There are a lot of people who still remember him for his 3 1/2 seasons with the Flames, too.
Coffey was excited to be in Estevan for the first time.
"I've heard a lot about this place, I've heard a lot about the community involvement and how great the people are, and so far it's good," said Coffey. "Glen Gulutzan, one of our coaches in Edmonton, is a Saskatchewan boy and he speaks very highly of Estevan, what it does for junior hockey and the kids, which is great."
He echoed Gilmour's statement about Affinity Place, saying that all the Bruins need is for a player to see the rink during the recruitment process.
He finds that people mostly remember him for the championships with the Oilers. He played in a lot of great cities and had a lot of great teammates, but the championships stand out.
He noted that Edmonton Oilers' teammates Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid each had at least 60 points on the power play this year, the first to do it since Coffey and Mario Lemieux in 1988-89 with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"I didn't know that. You don't know it until these young guys come out and start doing things."
The championships stand out the most to Coffey as well.
"They're all equal. The first one was cool because you didn't know what to expect. The one in Pittsburgh was great because nobody expected that. And it's always nice to see great players become champions. I became one, we all became one together in Edmonton, and then seeing Mario lift his first Cup up … was pretty cool."
But he also remembers the 1984 Canada Cup semifinal against the Soviet Union and making a play to break up a two-on-one, which led to the winning goal moments later.
Coffey said it's always a lot of fun to do public appearances, talk about the game, meet people and share stories of those he met in the past.
"I've been to a lot of small towns in Saskatchewan, and it's pretty cool," said Coffey.
It was noted by Mahon that Coffey and Gilmour once fought in an NHL game. The dust-up was brought to Mahon's attention by local hockey fan Boston Tait.
The two were also teammates and even neighbours with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1998-99.
A live auction generated more than $28,000 for the Bruins' coffers. Gilmour brought a signed Toronto Maple Leafs jersey that fetched $3,700; the other person involved in the bidding agreed to pay the same amount for a second Gilmour jersey.
A similar situation played out with Coffey, as his jerseys sold for $3,400 each.
But the top-selling item on the night was the opportunity to drive Coffey and Gilmour back to the Regina International Airport on Friday morning and listen to the two icons share stories. It was purchased by Trevor Dutka for $4,100.
A number of other auction items were available during the night. There was also a 50-50 draw and a silent auction.
