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CAPTAINS REVEAL DRAFT STRATEGY

By: Dan Berlin, Pro-Am Blogger - 19/04/2013

In last week’s blog post, we asked a number of the participating NHL alumni in the 2013 Scotiabank Pro-Am for Alzheimer’s why they should be chosen first at the upcoming draft party on May 2 at Real Sports Bar and Grill in Toronto.

The ageless Marcel Dionne suggested he warrants the top pick because he’s still “got it,” although he conceded his stock may fall on draft day because he never donned the “blue and white” Maple Leaf during his illustrious NHL career. With the tournament being held May 3-4 in Toronto, and with many of the teams "bleeding blue", odds are that the first overall pick will be a Leaf legend, whether it’s Doug Gilmour, Wendel Clark or Curtis Joseph, who’ll be playing forward in this year’s tournament.

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But captain Harry Clay, who’s making his first pro-am appearance, disagrees with Dionne.  Despite growing up in Toronto as a fan of Dave Keon (not participating) and the four-time Cup winning teams of the Maple Leafs in the ‘60s, Clay said he’d lean toward taking the 61-year-old hall-of-famer first overall.  
“I’m going to take Marcel Dionne, for sure,” said Clay, proudly sporting his vintage purple and yellow Los Angeles Kings Dionne jersey at a recent pro-am captains’ team event.  “He plays the same kind of game I do, only slower,” he added jokingly.

Tournament goaltender Ron Fine didn’t hesitate when asked which pro he’d take number one, should his team finish as the top fundraisers.  “Dougie Gilmour,” blurted Fine.  “It’d be a dream come true.  I idolized that guy when he was with the Maple Leafs (1992-1997, 2003).  He’s a hero to me.  It’d be a thrill.”

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Howard Forberg of Team Decorium, a huge Leafs fan, has suited up with a number of his hometown heroes during his six years in the pro-am, including Gilmour. And it’s something he’ll never forget.

“I was skating on the ice with Dougie and I was wearing his [famous] number 93,” recalled Forberg.  “He pulled me from the ice and said, ‘hey, you don’t do that number justice.’”

Like Forberg, having the chance to play with your boyhood idol is certainly a thrill for many Scotiabank Pro-Am participants, but he’s learned over the years that sometimes a third or fourth liner can be a better fit than a former superstar.

“It comes down to who’s an amazing guy in the dressing room,” added Forberg. “Mike Krushelnyski is a lot of fun to have on your team, so I would take him.”

David Shubs of Team Harvey Kalles agrees with his fellow captain. “One of the best dressing room guys we’ve ever had and a ton of fun was Brian Bellows. We’re always happy to have Brian on our team.”

“The locker room is probably a bigger part of the tournament than the games themselves,” said Shubs’s teammate Steven Little, who has single-handedly raised the third-highest dollar amount - $21,000 – of anyone so far this year. “Hanging out with the guys and hearing some of their stories and the things that they’ve done… it’s like having the chance to create a friendship with these NHLers.”

But no matter who gets the first or last pick overall on draft night, the Scotiabank Pro-Am is still an unforgettable weekend for the over-300 players involved.

“It’s almost a dream come true,” chuckled Clay.  “If I was getting paid to play with them, then it would really be a dream come true. This is the next best thing.”