ANTIGONISH, N.S. — ANTIGONISH, N.S. - A full room for dinner and the largest number of golf teams yet, equals a successful event.
That was the final scorecard total for this year’s Bonvie-MacDonald Rinks to Links Golf Classic, which took place June 14 and 15.
“We were fortunate St. F.X. was able to help us out with that facility,” Craig MacDonald, the ex-NHLer who is half the namesake for the tournament, said, of the dinner venue.
Dennis Bonvie, also a one-time NHL skater, is the other founder of the event.
“We had 300 people at the dinner, that’s the most we ever had. The food was fantastic and everyone was very generous,” MacDonald said, noting the excellent collection of auction items which raised a lot of money
“Then the next day, obviously, the weather makes a huge difference. It started off cool but ended up to be a fantastic day for the golf.
“Overall, we had 37 teams; I don’t think we ever had that before. So, for the dinner and golf to be full, that’s pretty impressive and just shows, again, people’s willingness to step up and continue to help out. Not only here in our community, but they’re coming from elsewhere now, to help out our causes.”
Amongst the causes MacDonald listed were; Antigonish Minor Hockey for registration and equipment for families who can use the assistance, Nova Scotia Early Childhood Development Intervention Services with the money staying in the region, the Jordon Myles Foundation for mental health programming, Tim Horton’s Children Foundation and breakfast programs at local schools.
“The more we can generate, the more we can give back,” MacDonald said.
Another cause on the list this year was helping the Smith family, Bryan, Shauna and their son Oliver, through their Olliebot work; give to Ewings Cancer Foundation of Canada.
When Oliver had cancer last year, he and his father created the Olliebots as a fun activity; away from the sports, like hockey, Oliver had to avoid while going through his treatment. They turned their creations into a fundraiser in the battle against cancer.
“I knew about the Olliebots, people had heard about it because of the social media and they knew the family, and we said wouldn’t it be a great idea if all our celebrities received an Olliebot, with our [event] logo on it. We purchased 50 of them, which is, obviously, making a donation to the Ewings Cancer Foundation of Canada.
“And there was a pretty big gift given from one of our sponsors [Dave Power from IMP Solutions]. He bid on it and gave it back to Bryan, Shauna and Oliver. Those are the kind of special things that make our event that much better,” MacDonald said.
Celebrities
The list of celebrities for the golf was an impressive collection of, mostly, Nova Scotia talent.
Amongst the hockey stars was Canadian Olympian Blayre Turnbull from Stellarton, who won a silver medal at the PyeongChang Games earlier this year.
“It’s fun to come down here and see some familiar faces as well as meet a lot of new people,” Turnbull said.
“And, most importantly, it’s great to be able to support good causes; I’m really happy I was invited.”
Asked if making the Olympic team has her busier with appearances, Turnbull acknowledged she has received a few more invites since the Games.
“I usually do a couple of these every summer but, this summer, I was definitely invited to a few more,” she said.
“I always appreciate the invite to these and I try to make an appearance, whenever I’m able to.”
Turnbull talked about her summer schedule as far as hockey.
“It’s really busy; we train, nearly, every day for a few hours in the morning and then we’ll go on the ice in the afternoon, up in Halifax,” she said.
“It’s quite busy and then when you’re trying to make it to as many events like this, as you can, it ends up being really busy but very rewarding at the same time.”
She said her sole focus now is on September try-outs.
“It definitely a sport where you can’t be complacent whatsoever,” she said. “You have to keep training hard every day otherwise your competition is going to end up beating you out, and you’re going to get passed up. You have to work hard, every single day, if you want to keep making the team and for you, and the team, to get better.”
Another hockey celebrity was Glace Bay’s Logan Shaw, who split last season between the Anaheim Ducks and Montreal Canadiens.
“As much as you feel good about supporting the causes, it is also nice to come and see some familiar faces who you haven’t seen in a couple of years, or maybe you see once a year, only at these types of events,” Shaw said. “It’s nice you can keep your connections and stay close with some of the hockey guys.”
Shaw described his year as “bouncing around a little bit,” a reference to his mid-season move from California to Quebec, but added, “it was awesome, I loved it.”
“I got to play in the best league in the world and when you get to do that, you don’t have many bad things to say about it,” he said, displaying the type of appreciation fans wish players would express more often.
“I was very fortunate to play for Anaheim and Montreal this year and really enjoyed my time with both. I don’t know what’s in store for me for next year but, whatever happens, I’m looking forward to it.”
