NHL STARS TURN OUT TO SUPPORT

SPINAL CORD RESEARCH

 

NY Rangers’ All-Star defenseman Tom Poti Joins Calgary Flames’ Chris Drury &

NHL Veteran Ted Drury in Hosting 8^th Annual Travis Roy Foundation Invitational on June 30

 

Orange, CT -- The 8th Annual Travis Roy Foundation Invitational Golf Tournament will be held Monday, June 30, 2003 at the Race Brook Country Club in Orange, CT. Tom Poti, a 2003 NHL All Star defenseman with the NY Rangers, will join Chris Drury of the Calgary Flames and Ted Drury, an 8-year NHL veteran, in hosting the charitable tournament. All proceeds will go to the Travis Roy Foundation, and including this year, the event has raised more than $200,000 for the nonprofit organization. Expected guests include: NY Islanders goaltender Garth Snow; NY Rangers forward Dan Lacouture; local CT hockey heroes Jeff Hamilton and Steve Valiquette of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers; former Boston Red Sox GM Dan Duquette; and NY Rangers 2003 first round draft selection Hugh Jessiman, a Darien, CT native. Additional celebrity guests may be announced at a later date.

 

TRAVIS ROY: On October 20, 1995, only eleven seconds into the first shift of his college hockey career, Travis Roy’s dream was cut cruelly short when he shattered his fourth cervical vertebra, severely damaging his spinal cord. Travis Roy is now a quadriplegic, with no feeling below his shoulders and no movement in his legs or left arm. With limited control of his right bicep, Travis is able to conduct simple yet key tasks such as operating the joystick of his wheelchair. Travis has faced his disability with the same sense of optimism and determination that distinguished his hockey career. A May 2000 graduate of Boston University with a degree in public relations, he is a popular motivational speaker and is actively involved with the Travis Roy Foundation. In 1998, he published a book, Eleven Seconds, based on his life.

 

CHRIS DRURY: Chris Drury, a college teammate of Roy’s, launched The Travis Roy Foundation Invitational Golf Tournament in 1996. 2002-03 marked Drury’s first season with the NHL’s Calgary Flames and fifth in the NHL. His accolades have been numerous: Olympic Silver Medallist (2002); Stanley Cup Champion (2001); NHL Rookie of the Year (1999); Named one of the Hartford Courant's 25 Top Connecticut Athletes of the Century (1999); Sporting News NHL Rookie of the Year (1999); NHL All-Rookie Team (1999); Hobey Baker Award Winner as top NCAA player (1997), NCAA Champion (1995). Drury’s exposure to the national spotlight came early as the 12-year-old winning pitcher for Trumbull, CT in the 1989 Little League World Series. Dubbed “Mr. Clutch” in the hockey media for his ability to score big goals at key moments, Drury has been referred to as “a future Hall of Famer” by ESPN.

 

TED DRURY:  2002-03 marked Ted Drury’s tenth professional season and first playing for the Hamburg (Germany) Freezers. A member of the 2003 US National Team, which competed in Finland last month, Drury has also represented the United States as a member of the 1998 US National Team and the 1992 and 1994 US Olympic Teams. The veteran forward has played in 414 NHL games with the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Hartford Whalers, and Calgary Flames.

 

TOM POTI:  2002-03 marked Tom Poti’s fifth NHL season and first full season with the NY Rangers. A 2003 NHL All-Star, Poti was a 1999 All-Rookie selection and a 2002 US Olympic Silver Medalist. 2002-03 marked his best season as a pro with a career-high 11g-37a-48pts. He skated for the Boston University Terriers for two seasons and in 1997-98 was an NCAA first team All-American, first team Hockey East All-Star and New England Hockey Writer’s Award winner as the top New England defenseman. Poti, a Worcester, MA native, was a member of the 1996-97 Terriers squad that lost in the NCAA Finals. A guest at every Travis Roy Foundation Invitational Golf Tournament since 1997, this season marks his first as a host of the event.

 

LIVE & SILENT AUCTIONS TO BENEFIT SPINAL CORD RESEARCH: A sellout crowd of more than 250 golfers is scheduled to participate in the daylong tournament. Approximately 400-450 additional guests are expected to attend a post-tournament auction featuring items donated by professional sports teams, athletes and local businesses. Last year’s silent and live auctions included autographed items from the 2002 and 1980 US Olympic hockey teams; NBA stars Shaquille O’Neal and Jason Kidd; Canada’s 2002 Gold Medal hockey team and pairs skaters Jamie Salé and David Pelletier; NHL greats Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky; MLB legend Yogi Berra; two-time NFL MVP Kurt Warner; and much more. The dinner and auction are scheduled to begin immediately following the golf tournament, at approximately 5:30 PM.