The roster of 11 high-calibre NHL players will hit the ice at Crescent Point Place on December 1 to compete against the Element Red Wings team on the Montreal Canadiens Alumni Tour. The Weyburn Chamber of Commerce and the Weyburn Red Wings recently announced the roster.
鈥淭his event will be an incredible day for our community,鈥� said Twila Walkeden. 鈥淏y witnessing the speed, accuracy, and skill sets of some of the NHL鈥檚 biggest stars, fans will get to experience a monumental day in Weyburn鈥檚 hockey history.鈥�
Game day is rapidly approaching, and those interested in purchasing tickets can visit the Weyburn Red Wings box office or go online at www.eventbrite.ca. The roster for the Montreal Canadiens includes Oleg Petrov, Keith Acton, coach Steven Shutt, Normand Dupont, Gaston Gingras, Jessie Belanger, Richard Sevigny, Brian Skrudland, Stephane Richer, Jocelyn Lemieux and Patrice Brisebois.
Petrov was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft and became the first Russian to play for the team. In his career, he scored 72 goals and 115 assists for a total of 187 points. He won a Stanley Cup in 1993 with the Montreal Canadiens. Acton played 15 years in the NHL, five with the Montreal Canadiens and one with Edmonton winning a Stanley Cup. He finished his career behind the bench as an assistant-coach for Philadelphia, New York and Toronto.
Shutt scored 60 goals in the 1976-77 season, along with his lines-mates Jacques Lemaire and Guy Lafleur. He won five Stanley Cups and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993. Dupont recorded at least 100 points in each of his four seasons at the junior level with the Montreal Junior. That included a 158-point year (84 goals) in 1974-75. He played five years in the NHL with Montreal, Winnipeg and Hartford. After he retired from the NHL he played eight seasons in the Swiss National League A.
Gingras was the Canadiens鈥� first pick in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft. Known for his natural hockey talents, he played a total of 10 years in the NHL with Toronto, St. Louis and Montreal, where he won a Stanley Cup. Belanger had nine seasons in the NHL, which included a Stanley Cup win with the Montreal Canadiens. He played there three seasons. He set league records with HC Biel (Switzerland) in 2006 with 21 goals and 37 points in 15 playoff games.
Sevigny played eight years in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens and Quebec Nordiques. He won the Vezina trophy in 1980-81 and a Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens. Skrudland played 15 NHL seasons, winning two Stanley Cups in Montreal and Dallas. He was named the first captain in Florida Panthers history and made the All-Star game in the 1990-1991 season.
Richer was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens. He is the last player of the team to have scored 50 goals. He had a career of 17 years in the National Hockey League with Montreal, New Jersey and Tampa Bay. He won a Stanley Cup in Montreal and one with New Jersey. Lemieux had a 13-year career in the NHL, spending two years with the Montreal Canadiens. Born in Mont Laurier, he is now an analyst on the French sports network, RDS.
Brisebois received the Jean B茅liveau Trophy for best defenseman in 2009. He spent 18 years in the NHL, including 14 with the Montreal Canadiens where he won a Stanley Cup in 1993. He is now heavily involved in automobile racing.
