Wayne’s Warriors wow Birch Cliff

Wayne Simmonds with the tournament winning Team Grey!

By Ron Baldwin

When I was a kid, I wore whatever sweater number was given to me by my hockey coach, without complaint.

As I got older I started to wear the numbers of players who I admired for their play on the ice.

I finally settled for the number 27 because of Darryl Sittler who was the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs when I was a young teenager.

I loved the way he played and I honoured him by wearing his number.

Well, after spending Saturday in the presence of some really nice NHL players who were mingling with the kids and their parents at Scarborough Gardens in Birch Cliff, I may have to change my number to 17.

No disrespect to Mr. Sittler, but only in respect to Mr. Wayne Simmonds.

Giving back to Scarborough

Wayne Simmonds of the Philadelphia Flyers, is an inspiring young man who grew up in Scarborough before embarking on his journey to become a professional hockey player.

He called up a few friends and asked them to join him at his 3rd annual Wayne’s Road Hockey Warriors tournament.

This event is a way for these local heroes to give back something to the game they love and to the fans, and to also raise money to help a few more kids play this beautiful game.

Hockey stars out in force

Wayne’s friends include his former teammate and two-time Stanley Cup champion Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings, Dallas Stars sensation Tyler Seguin, workhorse goal scorer Joel Ward of the Washington Capitals and playoff break out player Devante Smith-Pelly of the Anaheim Ducks.

Also on hand were a  few other local boys who are also carving out strong professional hockey careers, such as rock solid Toronto Marlie Mike Duco, West Hill’s Kevin Henderson, whose Texas Stars team won the American League’s Calder Cup Championship this year, and Boston Bruins goaltending prospect Malcolm Subban, who currently plays with the Providence Bruins and is the younger brother of P.K and older brother of Jordan (drafted this year by the Vancouver Canucks).

Boston Bruin prospect, goaltender Malcolm Subban, poses with fan Sebastian

Autographs and photos

I’m assuming a lot of these kids, who were between the ages of 8 and 12 years old, will have a tough time picking a new number, because these NHL players all were so friendly and were available to stop for a picture and a quick chat.

I happened to catch Malcolm Subban in between his walk from one interview to the next and I asked if I could have a few moments to speak with him. He said sure and we squeezed ourselves into a corner of the rink as many kids hovered around ready to pounce.

I asked him why would he ever want to be a goalie and he laughed and said he actually enjoys it. I asked him his older brother P.K , who is four years older than Malcolm ever forced him to play net as a kid and he said “ Maybe a few times”.

I also asked him if watching his older brother make the NHL and watching him have the success that he has motivated him to get there too and he said “ Definitely”. He said he can’t wait to get a chance to play against him one day soon and hopefully he’ll get a chance to stop a PK blast or two.

Fantastic day

Tournament founder Brandon Sinclair, co-founder Anastasia Boris and Wayne Simmonds

Overall I’d say it was a fantastic day, as it was the previous two years and I know it will be again next year.

The tournament is not really about who actually wins the tournament as it is about the professional players interacting with the young kids and fans.

The grey team ended up winning the tournament and they were ecstatic and all rewarded with plaques for their efforts.

I am proud to have been able to report on this event once again. I’m a hockey nut so I was in my glory!

Every time I come to this event I am able to meet up with a lot of old friends that I used to play hockey with and against in Scarborough, including some of the young pros such as Duco and Henderson, who I first started skating with when they were just graduating from Midget AAA and they needed a summer skate.

It is really neat to see them all grown up and making money as professional hockey players and now coming back home and sharing their experiences with their fans.

Last year I reported on a boy named Xavier, who is a friend’s son that I brought to the tournament, and I wrote about his experience of meeting some of his NHL heroes. Well that young man is a dynamic up and coming young hockey player and he used last years’ experience to really push himself and has  just signed with one of the top Triple AAA teams in the GTHL Minor Bantam Division.

For Xavier, meeting his heroes and following their path, helps brings his dream closer to reality.

I should have asked him what number he is planning to wear next year.

Keep Skating!