KERROBERT — A farm boy from Saskatchewan who had a long and successful NHL career was the headliner for the Kerrobert Sports dinner held Nov. 12 to raise funds for Kerrobert Minor Hockey and the Kerrobert Tigers Hockey Club.
Trottier amassed 524 goals and seven Stanley Cup wins in his career, including one as a coach with the Colorado Avalanche. He has authored a book about his life, All Roads Home. The Saskatchewan product was also inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997.
The Sask. player’s NHL resumé also includes a Hart Memorial Trophy as the 1979 NHL’s most valuable player. In 1980, he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Stanley Cup playoff’s top performer.
Growing up on a ranch near a once little-known place known as Val Marie, Trottier’s fame made it much more well recognized.
Trottier now lives a retired life in Pittsburgh, Tenn. retiring as a player in 1994 having 14,225 points in 1,279 regular-season games and 184 points registered in 221 playoff appearances.
The NHL Hall of Famer’s story goes far beyond goals, wins, and accolades. He focused on family and friendships.
From the minor hockey ranks through the WHL into his long and historied NHL career, Trottier made an impact everywhere he went and with every person he encountered along the way.
Trottier shared memories with the crowd in Kerrobert, as he recounted his hockey career and Saskatchewan roots.
“The night was successful, although numbers were down considerably vs. pre-COVID events,” Kerrobert Tigers’ Brad Murphy says of the event.
“Everyone enjoyed a fun night socializing and listening to the hockey legend and his life before and after hockey. He is a genuine Saskatchewan personality and he sat at every table taking pictures with attendees and signing autographs all night.”
While Murphy said final numbers aren’t in yet, he says the event will be well short of previous fundraisers. He hopes the next time around, organizers can start earlier and include bigger numbers on the planning committee as well as increase attendance to pre-pandemic numbers.
