Kagawong鈥檚 upcoming History Day on August 13 will feature a hockey-themed panel hosted by Steve Paikin, featuring NHL legends, Joe Bowen, and rare trophies, with proceeds supporting the Old Mill Heritage Centre.
KAGAWONG鈥擳he History Day in Kagawong celebrations being held next month will be all about hockey with a who鈥檚 who of professional, regional and local hockey players, coaches and trophies being part of the event.
鈥淪teve Paikin will be hosting the extensive panel of guests on hand for History Day in Kagawong taking place on , with a matinee and evening presentation,鈥 said Rick Nelson, curator of the Old Mill Heritage Centre in Kagawong.
鈥淔ormer National Hockey League (NHL) player and coach Randy Carlyle will be on hand, as well Rod Schutt, who played for the Sudbury Wolves and in the NHL (National Hockey League), Joe Bowen, the voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs,鈥 said Mr. Nelson. He explained that among the many others on hand will include John Walton, former sports director of MCTV and Ken MacKenzie, a former coach of the Sudbury Wolves.
The panel will also include Phil Pritchard (keeper of the Stanley Cup) at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto along with Miragh Bitove, the first lady keeper of the Cup. 鈥淭he Stanley Cup will not be available as it is being passed around this summer among members of the Carolina Hurricanes and will be in British Columbia on the same day,鈥 said Mr. Nelson.
鈥淔ormer local hockey player, coach and hockey historian Bill Strain will also be on the panel,鈥 said Mr. Nelson.
鈥淲hile the Stanley Cup isn鈥檛 available, there will be a whole bunch of trophies on display, including the Conn Smythe Trophy, the Norris Trophy, Canada Cup, Four Nations Trophy, and we are working on others,鈥 said Mr. Nelson.
鈥淎l Secord, originally from Espanola who played in the NHL, is going to be on a bike trip and is expected to be back from his trip the day before History Day, so it is unforeseen if he will be able to attend,鈥 said Mr. Nelson. 鈥淏ut he is on the list of guests.鈥
鈥淩eggie Leach (who lives on ManitouIin), who played in the NHL, will be forwarding a video message from Manitoba that will be shown during the event,鈥 said Mr. Nelson.
Mr. Paikin will be holding the panel discussion at both the afternoon and evening sessions during the day, said Mr. Nelson. He said one of the many topics that will be discussed is where the panelists were when Paul Henderson scored the winning goal in the 1972 Canada-Russia Summit Series. 鈥淭here will also be film clips featured at the event,鈥 he said.
Mr. Nelson is preparing a slide deck at the beginning of each of the sessions, introducing everyone and explaining that funds raised by History Day will be going to the Old Mill Heritage Museum.
鈥淭here will also be all kinds of hockey memorabilia on hand and displayed,鈥 continued Mr. Nelson. This ties into the display at the museum this summer, where old NHL uniforms such as those worn by Bobby Hull and Jean Beliveau, autographed photographs and more are on display.
He explained a silent auction will feature items sent by Bobby Orr (including an autographed photo of Mr. Orr from the 1976 Canada Cup and an autographed Canada Cup hockey puck), two tickets worth $1,000 for a Toronto Blue Jays game (including tickets in a suite and a full buffet this fall) will be up for silent auction. The tickets have been donated by former Toronto Mayor John Tory.
鈥淎s per usual we will be hosting the History Day event in the afternoon and evening sessions,鈥 said Mr. Nelson. The afternoon panel discussion will begin at 3:30 pm, with a short refreshment intermission halfway through the 90-minute event. The evening event is scheduled to begin at 7:30 pm. As part of the two sessions, Mr. Paikin will also be providing a short sneak peek into a documentary he is working on about the Bill Barilko (former Toronto Maple Leafs icon) story.
Tickets for the afternoon matinee panel session are almost sold out, said Mr. Nelson, who said there will be seating for 100 per show. Tickets are on sale at the museum for $20.
鈥淚 am very grateful for the help I have received from the museum committee and how grateful for the help and assistance of the museum committee and the township for helping make this happen and for the support we have received from sponsors,鈥 continued Mr. Nelson.
鈥淎 lot of the members of the audience will be made up of local, regional and national hockey folks,鈥 said Mr. Nelson. He also bade thanks to Mr. Paikin and his wife Francesca for introducing him to John Tory and Bobby Orr, who have graciously contributed items for the silent auction.
