By Sabrina Kraft
Darcy Tucker from the Toronto Maple Leafs and Kelly Gruber from the Toronto Blue Jays both shared some sports memories during the annual Sports Dinner for the Weyburn Red Wings.
It was an engaging night overall, with Tucker and Gruber put into the ‘hot seat’ right off the bat, answering questions from the moderator and audience members.
It was an honour for both athletes to represent their country at the national level, as Tucker played with the 1995 Team Canada gold medal team at the World Junior Championships, and Gruber was a member of the 1992 World Series winning Blue Jays team.
“It was truly a blessing to represent Canada at the World Series,” said Gruber. “The best thing about playing for the Blue Jays was that they were the team that were cheered for across the nation. Everyone says to me that they remember where they were when we won the 1992 World Series, and that is such a great feeling.”
Gruber also answered the very common question about the controversial triple play in the World Series, speaking about from his vantage point how the throw came to him at third base to tag Deion Sanders near second base.
He said that the one thing he would have changed about the 1992 World Series, was that it would have been better to win while in Toronto.
During his first three seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, Gruber split time between the Major League Baseball and the minor leagues, before earning an everyday spot in the Toronto line-up by 1987. He was traded to the California Angels in 1992, and shortly after the trade had shoulder surgery to repair a rotator cuff tear. In 1997, Gruber attempted a comeback with the Baltimore Orioles, but then decided to retire for health-related concerns.
Tucker said he felt very fortunate to have been able to play at the National Hockey League. “I grew up in Endiang, Alberta, where I learned a lot from watching other hockey players. I enjoyed watching the game so much, I can remember sitting in my classroom and drawing up the lines for different NHL teams.”
“There is nothing like playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs and walking into their building and feeling the aura, and the energy. I lived for Saturday nights. It was my favourite night to play, because it was when the whole nation was paying attention to the game.”
Tucker played 947 regular season and 68 playoff games in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Colorado Avalanche.
Brent Stephanson, president of the Weyburn Red Wings hockey club, said that there was a great response to the Sports Dinner this year. “The speakers were both excellent, and it was great to hear about their experiences with their respective teams, and their personal lives.”
“The beauty of both of their sports is that they both shared a lot about the bonds of friendships that they have made over the years,” said Stephanson.
He felt that there was a good contrast between Gruber and Tucker that definitely added to the evening. “The system we have with the hot stove really makes the evening interactive, because the audience gets to throw questions at them. Then afterwards, autographs were signed and photos were taken.”
Overall, Stephanson felt that the silent and live auctions went extremely well due to support from the business community. He said that it takes a lot of work and financial contributions to arrange well-known speakers and plan a great meal for the Sports Dinner, and that the supportive response from the business community is so important to their financial bottom line.
