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Imagine being in high school and walking into the gym for a game of floor hockey, only to face off against an NHL legend.
That’s how students at E.D. Feehan Catholic High School were spending their morning, playing the game with some of hockey’s greatest.Grade 9 students and best friends Eli Rowan and Cash Thorstensen took to the floor to square off against the likes of Chris Chelios, Al MacInnis and Chris Pronger.Brett Hull, Joey Kocur, and Tony Twist also joined in on the fun.“It’s so surreal, you know?” said Rowan. “It’s fun playing with some of my favourite NHL players too.”“It’s just kind of amazing just seeing them and knowing that they used to be super, super good,” added Thorstensen. The former hockey superstars were in Saskatoon for the 63rd annual Kinsmen Sports Celebrity Dinner, in support of youth hockey and sports throughout the city.
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“We try and support the kids that may not have the opportunity themselves or their families might not be able to play otherwise,” said dinner chairman Morgan Drewsky. “So our goal is to give back to those kids that maybe need the opportunity.”The floor hockey game reminding three-time Stanley Cup champion Chelios of when he used to hit the pavement for some street hockey when he was younger.
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“Quite honestly, I look around and nothing’s changed since I was a kid. It’s the plastic hockey sticks and this is basically where it started for all of us,” Chelios said. “There’s nothing better than floor hockey, playing this. It’s exciting.”The sentiment is shared by Hall of Fame defenceman MacInnis, who said it’s special for the NHLers too, and hopes to inspire the next generation of hockey stars and community leaders.
“We looked up to the players that we watched when we were younger and to get to meet them or to get an autograph was so special and now we’re in a position to help out,” MacInnis said.“We’re here for the right reasons just to help out in any way we can.” Even with all the star power, it was the students that packed out the gym who are the biggest winners.“It’s going to be in my mind and memory,” Rowan said. “It’s going to be one of the [most fun] times ever.”
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