Poker Night at Hockey Hall of Fame by Neil Becker

When Kerry Goulet invited me to attend the much- anticipated Shoot For A Cure Hockey Hall Of Fame Poker Event on Thursday October 8 never in a million years could I have anticipated the valuable lesson I was about to learn. Being a die- hard hockey fan I was ecstatic about being able to rub shoulders with former NHL stars such as Eddie Shack, Brian Muir, Bill Derlago and hall of famer and six- time Stanley Cup winner Glen Anderson. On that Thursday night I couldn’t wait to hear Derlago crack his usual off the wall jokes and to ask Muir about his experiences playing in Colorado with a first ballot hall of famer in forward Joe Sakic who as everyone knows retired last summer. Upon arriving at the Hall I went upstairs to the Bell Great Hall where all the trophies were displayed including the Stanley Cup. Looking around it was like a whose who in the world of hockey as former players who I grew up admiring such as Craig Muni (three Stanley Cup rings), Kevin Maguire (former Toronto Maple Leaf, Buffalo Sabre and Philadelphia Flyers tough guy) and Tony Currie (Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues and Hartford Whalers) to name just a few. Minutes before Goulet who is the director of Shoot For A Cure made his speech I felt a rush of excitement running down my spine as I saw Anderson standing with a drink in his hand. Trying to keep my nerves in check I approached Anderson and before I knew what I was saying blurted out “I enjoyed watching you the other night on Dancing With The Stars.” He looked at me in a confused manner when I realized that I didn’t say Battle Of The Blades. To my relief he just laughed and we talked for a minute about his days with the Oilers. It wasn’t until Goulet made his speech that I learned about the seriousness of Shoot For A Cure, which incidentally came to being in 2000. The purpose of this organization, which has various NHL spokes people such as Calgary Flames captain Jarome Iginla, is to raise money for spinal cord research. On this magical night everyone who bought a ticket and made bids in the silent auction were winners as approximately $30,000 was raised for not only finding a cure to these spinal injuries suffered by players at various levels but also educating the public about it. Not knowing anyone who suffered a spinal cord injury while playing hockey I really became glued to what was an emotional and informative speech Goulet gave during the evening detailing how he became involved with Shoot For A Cure. This 50 year-old who enjoyed a hall of fame career in Europe really opened up by talking about a teammate and close friend who suffered a spinal cord travesty while playing in Europe. Showing what kind of person Goulet is he not only was a constant supporter to his friend lying in a hospital bed but he decided to go on a mission in educating and raising money through Shoot For A Cure. Being a sensitive person who wishes the best for everyone that story really got my attention and realized that these injuries are more common than people might think. I went online a few days afterwards and to my surprise realized that there are indeed quite a few players who have suffered spinal cord injuries. This includes a promising up and coming forward named Travis Roy who 11 seconds into his college career in 1995 with Boston University broke his fourth and fifth cervical vertebra. Besides for poker food and drinks various virtual shooting and goaltending games were open for those who had the itch to shoot or save a puck. While talking to these former players was an amazing experience I would have to say that the one thing I took from this evening was the story Goulet told of his friend and how suffering spinal cord injuries changes a life forever. Credit goes to Shoot For A Cure who besides for the Charity Poker Evening continue to work feverishly towards making hockey spinal cord injuries a thing of the past.