Celebrity players and coaches announced for street hockey tournament

Times Photo Courtesy of Town of Taber Facebook. HOCKEY LEGENDS: The Town of Taber’s PlayOn! Street Hockey Tournament will be on March 27-28. One of the celebrities is Zachary Smith who played for the Ottawa Senators.

Southern Alberta Newspapers 

With the Town of Taber’s PlayOn! Street Hockey Tournament fast approaching on March 27-28, last week the municipality announced the lineup of celebrity players and coaches that will be in the community for the tournament.

The celebrity players/coaches include:

• Brian Skrudland

• Kelly Buchberger

• Chris Joseph

• Tim Hunter

• Rich Sutter

• Rebecca Johnston

• Chris Dingman

• Dana Murzyn

• Zach Smith

These hockey legends won’t just be watching from the sidelines. During Virtual Draft Night on March 26 at 7 p.m., the top eight fundraising teams will draft one of these celebrities to play on or coach their team for the tournament.

Teams earn their draft position based on how much they fundraise before Draft Night, so every donation counts. The higher your team climbs on the fundraising leaderboard, the better your chance of drafting the hockey legend you want on your bench.

All fundraising supports the rebuild of the Taber Community Centre arena. Donations can be made online at http://www.playon.ca (click Donate Now and select your team).

The tournament then hits the streets on March 27, when teams and their celebrity picks compete for bragging rights and community glory.

Player and Coach Biographies

Brian Skrudland:

 Stanley Cup Champion (1986, 1999) – Montreal Canadiens, Dallas Stars

Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadiens, Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars, New York Rangers

Brian Skrudland played 15 seasons in the NHL. He became a Stanley Cup Champion as a rookie in 1986 with the Montreal Canadiens, and then won again later in his career with the Dallas Stars in 1999. He was an elite NHL shutdown centre and premier defensive forward, known for his relentless work ethic, high-level intelligence, and specialized role as a top penalty killer. For many years Brian also held the record for the fastest overtime goal in the NHL playoffs – 9 seconds.

Kelly Buchberger:

Stanley Cup Champion (1987, 1990) – Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton Oilers, Atlanta Thrashers, LA Kings, Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins

Kelly Buchberger was drafted in the ninth round (188th Overall) by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut in 1987 Stanley Cup finals. During his playing career, he was known best for his gritty play and leadership. He captained the Oilers for four years and won the Stanley Cup twice in 1987 and 1990.

Chris Joseph:

Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks, Phoenix Coyotes, Atlanta Thrashers

Joseph was drafted 5th overall by the Penguins in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut for the Penguins during the 1987–88 NHL season but was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in the same season, in the deal that saw Paul Coffey go to Pittsburgh. In total, Joseph played 510 regular season games, scoring 39 goals with 112 assists for 151 points and collecting 567 penalty minutes. Chris also won a gold medal with Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships in 1988.

Chris’ son Jaxon was one of those who passed away tragically in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in 2018.

Tim Hunter:

Stanley Cup Champion (1989) – Calgary Flames

Calgary Flames, Quebec Nordiques, Vancouver Canucks, San Jose Sharks

Tim Hunter is one of the most popular and well known members of the Calgary Flames. He was on the Flames’ 1989 Stanley Cup championship team, and also appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals in 1986 with Calgary and in 1994 with Vancouver. He was known for his fierce style of play, ranking him among hockey’s unwritten list of elite enforcers during the 1980s and 1990s. He also was a quality defensive player and penalty killer.

Rich Sutter:

Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning

Rich Sutter was drafted 10th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft, the same draft that saw his twin brother, Ron, get drafted 4th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers. Ron and Rich both played on the Lethbridge Broncos in the WHL, and together they led that team to the Memorial Cup in 1983. He is part of the Sutter family from Vikiing Alberta, that sent 6 brothers to the NHL.

Rebecca Johnston:

Rebecca Johnston played for the Calgary Inferno of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association and the Canadian national team. She played four seasons at Cornell University and was selected second overall in the 2012 CWHL Draft. Playing for Team Canada, she earned three Olympic gold medals, one silver, and two world championship titles.

Dana Murzyn:

Stanley Cup Champion (1989) – Calgary Flames

Calgary Flames, Hartford Whalers, Vancouver Canucks

Dana Murzyn was a rugged, physical, and highly skilled defensive defenseman known for his explosive skating and punishing hits. He was selected fifth overall by the Hartford Whalers in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. He began his NHL career in 1985–86 with the Whalers and was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team. After being traded to the Calgary Flames in 1988, he won the Stanley Cup with the club in 1989. He finished his career in Vancouver and retired after fourteen years in the NHL.

Chris Dingman: 

Stanley Cup Champion (2001, 2004) – Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning

Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes

Chris Dingman, or “Dinger” as he is known colloquially, was drafted by the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (19th overall in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft), and played his first full NHL season for the Flames in 1997–98, where he earned a reputation as a tough customer and found himself involved as a checker and a pugilist as opposed to a scoring line player. Dingman totalled 120 fights in his NHL career. His most notable was his beatdown of Bryce Salvador in November, 2000. At one point in the fight, both Dingman and Salvador had their right fists cocked, squared up, and simultaneously threw a punch. Salvador’s punch missed while Dingman’s punch connected with Salvador’s jaw and sent Salvador’s mouthpiece flying out of his mouth. Salvador crumpled to the ice, proving to be one of the most dynamic victories of Dingman’s career. But Dinger wasn’t just a fighter. He scored 40 goals as Captain of the Brandon Wheat Kings in their WHL championship season in 1995 and 1996. He is also one of the very few who has won multiple Stanley Cups.

Zach Smith: 

Known as a rangy player and a fiesty penalty killer with a penchant for contact, Zachary Smith played for the Ottawa Senators, who drafted him 79th overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League. Some of his career highlights included scoring his first goal against Carey Price, and dislocating his wrist in a skirmish with Brad Marchand. In his remarkable career Zach played 612 games over 12 NHL seasons.

March 27-28 Itinerary

Friday, March 27th: 3:15-8 PM

• Play On! Street Hockey Games:

– 3:15 PM -8 PM (schedule of games TBA)

• Maggie’s Place BBQ:

– 5-7 PM

– Bring cash for purchases

– Serving burgers & hotdogs

• Tank 77 Museum- History of Hockey Displays:

– Times TBA

– 4702 50 St, Taber (by the Aquafun Centre)

• Music by Spider Entertainment @ the PlayOn! Stage

Saturday, March 28th: 7:30 AM – 5 PM

• South Country Co-Op free Pancake Breakfast:

– Free! Generously sponsored by South Country Co-Op

– 7:30 AM

– First 1,500 people

• Play On! Street Hockey Games:

– 8 AM – 5PM (schedule TBA)

• Dolf’s Meats & Sweets BBQ (bring cash):

– 11 AM – 2 PM

– Bring cash for purchases

– Serving burgers, hot dogs, and smokies

• Tank 77 Museum- History of Hockey displays:

– Times TBA

• Music by Spider Entertainment @ PlayOn! Stage

Raise the Roof: A Charity Concert for Taber

On the evening of March 28, the Taber Titans Charity & Spider Entertainment are hosting Raise the Roof: A Charity Concert for Taber with the Road Hammers and special guests. • 

Details: March 28th: 7:00 PM @ Taber Agri-Plex

For details on the PlayOn! Street Hockey Tournament itself, please visit http://www.taber.ca/hockey