Despite running about six hours from cocktails to conclusion, it's hard to argue that Friday's Estevan Bruins fundraiser was anything but a great success.
The speakers were full value for the hype they received, and there were some very attractive auction items up for grabs.
Estevan's corporate community once again showed its generosity, raising a net total of more than $70,000 for the Bruins.
The 13 live auction items brought in about $46,000 alone, including $9,500 for a trip for two to the 2013 Winter Classic in Ann Arbor, Micn., and $5,000 for an autographed Scott Schultz jersey.
I had heard some of Schultz's stories at a fundraiser I attended in Unity several years ago, but they were just as funny the second time around, particularly the one about how he quit hockey at age five when his cup fell out - a story which probably should not be followed through to its conclusion in these pages.
Schultz is so popular not only for his play as a Rider, but because he's funny, personable and is very good at expressing his insights, whether they be about something on the football field or the meal in front of him at the Tap House on Friday during the Sports Cage.
McSorley had some truly unique experiences during his career and, more than anything, I enjoyed hearing his take on what it was like to be a tough guy during the firewagon era.
Kudos to the community members who filled 70 tables and helped keep the city's junior hockey team financially stable for the foreseeable future.
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After watching that goal celebration by Anton Zlobin, how could you not be happy for the Shawinigan Cataractes?
Despite being a founding member of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in 1969, Sunday's Memorial Cup championship victory was the first title win of any kind for Shawinigan.
Zlobin scored his second goal of the game at 17:51 of overtime to give the Cataractes a 2-1 win over the London Knights.
As a fan of the P.E.I. Rocket, I never cared much for Shawinigan and especially their fans - and I'm sure the entire country feels the same way about the latter after putting up with those stupid air horns - but times change.
This year's club was led by a pair of P.E.I. products on the back end in top prospect Brandon Gormley of the Phoenix Coyotes and Montreal Canadiens prospect Morgan Ellis.
It was particularly nice to see Gormley finish his junior career by lifting the Memorial Cup after several disappointments the last two years.
First, when he was a member of the Moncton Wildcats, Gormley and his team went winless in the round-robin at the 2010 Memorial Cup and failed to make the playoffs.
Less than a month later, Gormley surprisingly fell out of the top five in the NHL draft, falling to 13th overall despite almost being selected fourth by Columbus.
A few months later, Gormley was expected to play a leading role for Canada at the world juniors but injured his knee in late November and missed the tournament. And we all know how Canada's world junior tournament went this year.
It was especially sweet to see Shawinigan defeat London. Call me bitter, but that team gets so much attention and manages to steal so many top players through somewhat shady deals that it's easy to forget that there are 59 other teams in the Canadian Hockey League.
Besides, this incarnation of the Knights will have more chances.
Josh Lewis can be reached by phone at 634-2654, by e-mail at [email protected], on Twitter at twitter.com/joshlewis306 or on his Bruins Banter blog at estevanmercury.ca/bruinsbanter. Don't even get him started on that ridiculous joke of a call to toss Henderson Alvarez from Saturday's Jays game for *gasp* an inside pitch.
