Before the pro-am, some ball hockey

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/07/2015 (3973 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE Players Cup likes to think of itself as a fun, sociable event. Well, at least on Tuesdays.

Come Thursday, when the serious caps come on, the mood will be less luminous. But two days before the official tournament tees off, there’s always a little fun to be had.

Like in the form of a celebrity ball hockey tournament, pitting former NHLers against the pros of the PGA Tour Canada.

Indeed, the game, which consisted of two five-minute periods, was a surprisingly tight affair as both teams went back and forth on the green grass just in front of the first-hole tee box.

The teams were deadlocked at 2-2 and were forced into the popular shootout, which was won by an unlikely hero, former Winnipeg Jets goaltender Tim Cheveldae, who slotted home the gamewinning shot to give the former NHL stars the prestigious cup.

The main course, meanwhile, was still yet to come as celebrities on hand were paired with two sponsors and a PGA Tour Canada pro golfer in the Celebrity Pro-Am on Tuesday afternoon.

TSN Winnipeg Jets analyst and 2011 Stanley Cup Champion Shane Hnidy was paired with fellow Canadian Kevin Spooner for the 18-hole event.

“Growing up in Neepawa, I worked at the golf course around there, so the golf pedigree is there,” Hnidy said.

Hnidy said the opportunity to golf with a professional golfer every year is one he relishes.

“I know as hockey players, we consider ourselves decent golfers, but to see these guys out here trying to make a career out of it, and seeing how much they are students of the game and how good they are — they’re great guys,” Hnidy said. “It’s a good day to come out and pick up some pointers, but also to listen to them and see the kind of road they’re on. We’ve all been on the same road coming up, no matter what we do.”

That isn’t to say there aren’t some lighthearted digs along the way.

When Hnidy found out Spooner was a native of Vancouver — and a Canucks fan — he couldn’t help himself but to ask him if he remembers 2011, the year Hnidy’s Boston Bruins beat the Canucks in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

‘I know as hockey players, we consider ourselves decent golfers, but to see these guys out here trying to make a career out of it, and seeing how much they are students of the game and how good they are– they’re great guys’

— Shane Hnidy

“That’s unfortunate, that was a tough year for us,” said Spooner, playing in his first celebrity pro-am.

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The list of celebs included former and current NHLers such as Dave Manson, Trevor Kidd and Quinton Howden, as well as the likes of 92 CITI FM’s morning show host Dave Wheeler, who put his tee shot on the par-3 7th three inches from the cup, and former Winnipeg Blue Bombers offensive lineman Obby Khan.

“This is one of the most disgusting things I’ve done in my life,” Khan said, recalling his round. “I’m a terrible, terrible golfer, but it’s fun to get out here and meet the pros. I’ve picked up some pointers, as well — swearing doesn’t help and throwing the club doesn’t help.

“Nah, it’s always a fun day. There’s a lots of a kids and a lot of great people you meet. And I like to give back in any way I can.”

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca

Scott Billeck
Reporter

Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.  Read more about Scott.

Every piece of reporting Scott produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.