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Hockey locals pitch in, and putt, to aid Travis Roy
ORANGE - Facing an uncertain future for the NHL, the local hockey world came here to Race Brook Country Club on Monday for an event that has become a constant. With more than 240 golfers on the course, with 400 people at $75 a head expected for dinner and with dozens of items up for auction, the ninth Travis Roy Foundation Invitational was set to raise around $50,000 for the foundation. Roy, who was paralyzed from the shoulders down on his first collegiate hockey shift in 1995, remains the star of the show, the man who brings people back year after year with his positive outlook and his efforts on behalf of other spinal-cord injury victims. "I love how, even in the position he's in, he still tries to help other people," said Trumbull native and Buffalo Sabres star Chris Drury, Roy's teammate at Boston University. "When it comes down to it and the money's all raised, he gives a lot of it to people in need in the state of Connecticut." Chris' brother Ted told a story about the sister of one of his friends, who was paralyzed last summer. Roy helped her and her family tremendously, Drury said. To New York Rangers defenseman Tom Poti, Roy's perseverance stands out most. "Every time I see Travis, he's got a smile on his face," Poti said. "He's always ready to take on the challenges waiting for him." The foundation splits its support over $1 million in the past seven years between research grants and individual grants to support people with spinal-cord injuries. Roy was proud of a recent grant to two Glastonbury roommates, providing them with a voice-activated unit to control their lights, television and air conditioning. Over nine years, the tournament at Race Brook has brought the foundation over $200,000. "It's amazing, especially with all the fund-raisers that have come and gone over the years," Roy said. "It blows me away that we're here for the ninth year and it shows no signs of letting up." Research will still take time, Roy said, but the work has progressed. Roy is also a staunch supporter of stem-cell research. "I wish people would get educated on the subject," he said. "The more educated people get, the more likely they'll be supportive of stem-cell research." Several hockey players joined in the midsummer fun on the course Monday and hope they'll have an NHL to play in or aim for in the fall. A collective bargaining negotiation between the league and its players association could lead to a Sept. 15 lockout. Chris Drury at least has some hockey in his near future. The captain of the United States team that finished third at the World Championship last month, he'll play for defending-champion Team USA at the World Cup in August and September. "I'm looking forward to it," Drury said. And after that might come the lockout, but there's not a lot he or most other players can do. "Every guy that plays is thinking about it, wondering what's going to happen," said St. Louis Blues forward Eric Boguniecki, a New Haven native. "Is there going to be a season? What are we going to do? We have to cover ourselves, protect our families, be ready for whatever happens." The AHL plans to play on. Though former Bridgeport Sound Tiger Stephen Valiquette had his option year picked up by the New York Rangers, Jeff Hamilton is one player waiting for a new contract. The AHL's leading goal scorer last year for the Sound Tigers, Hamilton becomes a restricted free agent Thursday and is awaiting a qualifying offer from the New York Islanders. Playing in Europe is an option, he said, but he said there aren't any offers on the table. Ted Drury, meanwhile, will return to the Kassel Huskies; two years in Germany has been "a good experience," he said. Appeared in the CT Post June 29, 2004 |
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