‘Hockey legends’ visiting Mitchell for Pro Hockey Celebrity Hunt

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Former NHL standouts will take a shot at something other than a goal later this month.

Thirteen pro hockey celebrities will visit Mitchell for the second annual Pro Hockey Celebrity Hunt, which takes place Oct. 28-30 in Mitchell. The pheasant hunt is a fundraiser for the Sam Tronnes Memorial Scholarship Foundation. The foundation awards high school hockey players who plan to pursue advanced education with scholarships ranging from $500 to $2,500.

This year’s special guests include teammates Dave Christian and Neal Broten, who were a part of the Miracle on Ice with the United States 1980 gold medal Olympics team.

“These guys are tremendous hockey legends,” said Dave Tronnes, the event coordinator.

Christian and Broten are both U.S. Hockey Hall of Famers. They will be joined with fellow Hall of Fame inductee Aaron Broten, who is Neal’s brother. The third Broten brother, Paul, will also participate in the hunt.

“Having all three in one location is very unique,” Tronnes said. “In the hockey world, that’s a big deal.”

Brian Burke, general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Shjon Podein, a repeat Stanley Cup winner, also join the roster of celebrity hunters.

A full list of celebrities can be found at www.prohockeycelebrityhunt.com.

The weekend begins with hunts on Oct. 28 and 29. All spots are filled for the two-day special hunt, but the public can attend a banquet on Oct. 29 at the Highland Conference Center, Mitchell.

Tickets to the banquet are $50 and can be bought at www.prohockeycelebrityhunt.com or by e-mailing Tronnes at info@prohockeycelebrityhunt.com.

The doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a social hour and meet and greet prior to a meal, presentations and auctions.

“It’s a full night,” said Tronnes.

A Granite Springs Hunt for the raffle/auction winner, celebrities and paid hunters on Oct. 30 concludes the weekend.

Last year $43,000 was raised during the three-day event — which includes the hunts, a banquet and silent auction — and 12 scholarships were awarded to students. Since the foundation began in 2006, 52 high school athletes have been given scholarships.

Applicants must have played hockey on average for 11 years and maintained a 3.8 GPA. Students also must exhibit stewardship and leadership in their communities.

“Sports give so much in time to kids with the coaches, parents and organizations. We want kids to learn they have to give something back to their community,” Tronnes said.

“It’s amazing what these kids can do between being good athletes and good students,” he said. “Everything (from this fundraiser) goes right back out to the kids.”

As of now, the Foundation solely hands out scholarships. As the event continues to grow, Tronnes said he’d like to include grants for hockey teams and cities that need money to purchase equipment and other supplies.

Tronnes added that 150 are participating in Friday’s events, and he and other committee members are expecting 300 for Saturday’s banquet.

Tags: sports, updates