Organizers of the 2007 and 15th annual Windsor Hockey Heritage Society Dinner and Golf Tournament announced last week that former NHL all-star defenseman Brad Park along with senior officials involved with the 2008 IIHF World Hockey Championships scheduled for Halifax and Quebec City next May will attend this year's dinner Thursday evening, Sept. 20.

This landmark event is scheduled for the new Avon Valley Golf and Country Clubhouse in Falmouth, minutes from downtown Windsor, followed by the golf tournament Friday afternoon, Sept 21.

A senior official and/or officials from the World Hockey Championship will be in attendance at Thursday's dinner. Representatives will provide details in a question and answer session with Acadia Axemen play-by-play announcer and AVR radio personality Len Hawley on the hockey to be played and what local residents can expect when the World Championships take place beginning May 2/2008 in Halifax and Quebec City.

Meanwhile, Park will participate also in a Q and A session at the dinner with Hawley and will play golf Friday afternoon. Park played 18 seasons in the NHL from 1968-85 and if it hadn’t been for a certain gentleman by the name of Bobby Orr, he would have been considered the best defenseman of his generation.

Part of blockbuster trade

In 1,113 NHL regular season games, Park scored 213 goals and garnered 683 assists for 896 points and was an astonishing +358. In the playoffs, he scored another 35 goals, adding 90 additional assists for 125 points in 161 playoff games.

During the 1972 Team Canada-Russia series, Park scored once and added four assists. He was the youngest captain in New York Ranger history and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988 on the first ballot with Tony Esposito and Guy Lafleur.

Dinner Chair Paul Beazley says, "Park will no doubt likely be remembered for something else which took place Nov. 7, 1975. It was at that time Park, after seven seasons with the Rangers, was involved in one of the biggest blockbuster NHL trades of all time when he and Jean Ratelle were traded to the Boston Bruins for Phil Esposito, Carol Vadnais and little known Joe Zanussi."

Park went on and played eight seasons with the Bruins before finishing his career with the Detroit Red Wings.

Beazley said, "we have an outstanding program of entertainment that will also include CTV's Liz Rigney as host and the 2007 Windsor Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies."

The 2007 Hall of Fame Inductees will be announced by early September. Dinner Tickets can be purchased at $80 each and Corporate Tables at $450 and $1,000 by calling the Windsor Hockey Heritage Centre at 798-1800.

Platinum and Gold Corporate Sponsorships are also available for both the dinner and golf tournament. If you would just like to play golf with Brad Park, you can enter a team or just yourself by calling tournament chair Gary Nelson at 798-5797.

- Submitted