Wayne Gretzky speaks to the crowd
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Wayne Gretzky with Inland AV technicians
Wayne and Jay, Inland AV
Prime Minister Stephen Harper with Jay, Inland AV
The 50th Kinsmen Sports Celebrity Dinner was a success on all fronts. 1,240 people came to listen to Wayne Gretzky and went home with memories that they will never forget. Prime Minister Stephen Harper hosted a Q & A session with Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe joined them on stage as Wayne talked about meeting him at a Kinsmen Sports Celebrity Dinner in Brantford, Ontario when he was 10 years old. The reunion of Gretzky and Howe at a Kinsmen Sports Celebrity Dinner was Wayne's idea and caught the audience completely by surprise.
Marc Hoffort, Event Chair, said that "The 50th Kinsmen Sports Celebrity Dinner will become the best event in our history. The Best Table In the House and two Gretzky autographed jersey auctions raised $39,500.00. The funds raised that evening go back into our community through many different agencies, including the Kinsmen Foundation of Saskatchewan. I had lots of help when we started planning this event back in September. It all came together when Prime Minister Harper confirmed his participation the week before the event. The day before the event, Wayne talked about how he would like to have Gordie show up as a surprise for everybody, and then I really started to think that we might be hosting an event that people will remember for the rest of their lives."
The evening started with Prime Minister Stephen Harper interviewing Wayne Gretzky and introducing Gordie Howe. An auction was then held for the Best Table In the House and raised $20,000.00. The winners were seated at a table in front of the podium and were joined by Gretzky and Howe and for dinner.
Ed Bryant was awarded the Annual Sportsman of the Year, Kendra Chernoff was named the Kinsmen Athlete of the Year and the Kinsmen Bill Hunter Team of the Year was the Eugene Hritzuk curling squad.
The evening finished off with a keynote address from both Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky. Everyone went home with memories to last a lifetime. Maybe there was a 10 year old hockey player in attendance who will find themselves as the keynote speaker at the 100th Kinsmen Sports Celebrity Dinner and will talk about the night they were inspired to greatness.
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