IT WAS like hockey heaven.

Bernie “Boom Boont”
Geoffrion. Jean Beliveau, Darryl
Sitter, Lanny McDonald, Viadislav
Tretiak, Harry Sinden, Paul
Henderson, Eddie Westfall. and

West Vancouver's own Pat Quinn

and Clint “Snuffy” Smith were
among the nearly 50 hockey lumi-
naries and approximately 1.000
other ticket holders, who gathered
Monday, Nov. 20, at the Hockey
Hall of Fame in Toronto, to pay
tribute to the Hall's 1995 inductees.
Folks came from near and far to
pay homage to longtime sports
writer Jack Gutecliff? the late drap-
pass innovator Fred “Bun Cook;
talented defenceman, coach and
seven-time Stanley Cup champion

~ Larry “Big Bird” Robinson; expan-

Photo Ann Hamilton

“- WEST VANCOUVER hockey greats Clint “Snuffy” Smith, a.1991

«Hall of Fame inductee,. (left) and Vancouver Canucks boss Pat.
Quinn, a future Hall of Fare candidate, journeyed to Toronto to par-
take.in this year's induction festivities and to salute hockey’s six
newest legends. Smith turns 82 years-old next Tuesday.

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sion king and four-time cup winner
Bill “Bow Tie” Torrey: International
Ice Hockey Federation top gun Dr.
Gunther Sabetzki: and prolific
hockey writer and consummate
broadcast journalist Brian
MeFarlane.

MeFarkine was the one aha
drew me to the ceremony. Years ago
he was somewhat of a mentor and
gave me my first hockey writing
assignment, which at age [8 funded
me inthe Gretzkys’ Brantford, Ont.
home and resulted ina four-hour

interview with Walter about his son

Keith.

The announcement of Brian's
well-earned selection was exciting,
but caught me off guard. Three
weeks before the Half announced

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‘the wonderful camaraderie
respect hockey people have for cach

this year's inductees, | was on the
line to Halt chairman Scotty
Morrison, who, now semi-retired,
was at his Haliburton, Ont. cottage
enjoying the newest edition to nis
fumily —a brown hib-affectionate-
ly named Kahlua — and attending
to some Hall business. When |
asked him to comment on the possi-
bility of Brian being inducted some
day, Scotty didn't let on for a’sec-
ond. Sporting his well-known refer-
ev-in-chief smile. which currently
graces the cover of the NHL rule
book, he later explained, “Well -
Ann, we try to keep it a secret.”

What isn't secret, however, is
and. > oes
other and the game. And no where
was it more evident than at the
Hall. :
Forget about the big-buck”
salaries and corporate egos that are

part and parcel of hockey.
Underneath it all, completely
unconnected to economic remuner-
ation, there is no mistaking a pure
love of the game. These people
have a lot of heart. It’s just that sim-
ple.

Evidence of this echoed through
the majestic Hall that night. You
could hear it in Robinson's emo-.
tional induction speech. He made
everybody cry when he got all
chocked up while thanking his fam-
ily for support. You could feei it
emanating from Smith when he
talked about the Stanley Cup ring
he received in 1990 for the cup he
helped the New York Rangers win
in 1940 — rings weren’t part of the
deal in the early years. You could
see it in the obvious warm friend-
ship between inductees Torrey and
McFarlane. And it could be seen in
the charming, Irish face of Quinn,
the Vancouver Canucks president

and general manager. * ”

“To get to see all the old faces is
probably the most fun of all. As you
look around the room and see Jean
Beliveau, Lanny, Sit, Jiggs
McDonald, and the whole bunch,
it’s just terrific, anda great night.”
said Quinn:

‘The North Shore was further
represented by Smith. “It was won-
derful to join ‘all of the great fellows
I played against and with.” said the
octogenarian, reminiscing on his
199] induction. “I'm a titde biton
the aged side, there ure many .mem-,

See Tales page 16