Celebrity Dinner Headlined by Bobby Hull and Marcel Dionne

“What young hockey player wouldn’t enjoy being in the company of and getting to talk to former NHL greats,” said Ben Lynds, 15. “Marcel Dionne, who played with Detroit Red Wings and Los Angeles Kings, is fifth among all-time NHL scorers and Dennis Hull had some great years with Chicago Black Hawks.”

Lynds, who plays defence with the minor AAA midget Truro Bearcats, also attended an introductory reception on Wednesday at the Port Williams home of his relatives Dr. Adam Clarke and Dr. Rebecca Clarke, as did Lee MacLean, a regular junior A Truro Bearcats supporter during the winter.

“They were both great nights,” said MacLean. “Dennis Hull is an outstanding speaker. He is unbelievably funny and he had the audience rolling in the aisles.”

Dr. Clark, who several years back spent time in internal medicine (cardiology) at Colchester Regional Hospital in Truro, agreed that both Dionne and Hull were very well received by the audience.

Brookfield’s Doreen Matheson, former Brookfield Elks pitching greats Gary Whittier and Steve Healy, and Steve Whynot, who played hockey with the Bearcats, were other Colchester County connections in attendance.

I last heard Hull speak during a Truro Sport Heritage Society dinner 26 years ago and I feel he has improved substantially since then. Here’s one of his stories that stands out.

“One season when I was playing in Chicago, Billy Reay was still coaching,” Hull began. “In the third period of a game at Boston Garden, he tapped me on the shoulder.

I turned around and he asked, ‘Who is number 14?’

I looked around the ice.

‘That’s Eddie Westfall’, I told him.

‘I don’t mean for their team, said Reay. “I want to know who’s number 14 for us.”