Local residents had a rare opportunity to watch players from hockey’s most successful franchise Sunday, when the Montreal Canadiens alumni were at Affinity Place to take on a team of Estevan hockey players dubbed the OSI-Can Bruins.
The Habs alumni team’s most well-known member was their coach, Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Steve Shutt. Shutt won five Stanley Cups with the Canadiens in the 1970s.
The club also featured several players who were part of the Canadiens most recent Stanley Cup championship team in1993, and some well-known recent players.
The Habs roster was comprised of goaltender Richard Sevigny, and skaters Oleg Petrov, Keith Acton, Glen Metropolit, Pierre Dagenais, Jesse Belanger, Norm Dupont, Patrice Brisebois, Mathieu Dandenault and Marc-Andre Bergeron.
They were joined by two local players, Brad Ford and Ron Klassen.
Members of the OSI-Can Bruins were goaltender Blaine Kovach, and skaters Preston Majeran, Adrian Bachorcik, Brad Robinson, Lincoln Empey, Jeff Smith, John Wells, Braden Lonsberry, Jesse Ewen, Wade Young and Evan Handley.
Montreal won the game 18-7.
While the Montreal players are all retired – many for over a decade – their skills are still sharp, as they skated effortlessly and moved the puck quickly.
But the game was also humourous at times, such as in the final minute, when Majeran had a penalty shot, and the Montreal players stood on each side of him, and created an overhead arch with their hockey sticks.
The Montreal Alumni also faced the Estevan Novice female Bearcats hockey team during the first intermission. Maya Farr, Taigan Duke, Neveah Duke, Olivia Von Sprecken, Gabrielle Deitz, Adeline Oleshko, Olivia Hockey, Jada Johnson, Bella Hammett, Peyton McIntyre, Bree Poelen, Paityn Puryk, Addison Granberg, Ruby Graf and Baya Summers were on the Bearcats team.
A meet and greet followed the game.
Proceeds from the contest will be directed to OSI-Can, which is dedicated to helping serving members and veterans of the Canadian Forces, the Allied Armed Forces, the Estevan RCMP and community first responders such as municipal police services, emergency medical services, firefighters and more. It is a joint project of the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Saskatchewan division and the Royal Canadian Legion’s Saskatchewan command.
Wednesday’s edition of the Mercury will have more on this story.
