Rob Ingham had no intentions of cross-checking Guy Lafleur.
But when Ingham got nailed from behind and lost his balance, his stick jabbed into Lafleur's back and they both fell to the ice.
With Ingham on his hands and knees and the legendary Montreal Canadiens superstar offering Ingham a look that would kill, Prince George Oldtimers Hockey Challenge referee Ron Hoggarth reached down and picked Ingham up by his jersey, and the interrogation began.
"Do you know who that is, that's Guy Lafleur you just knocked down," said Hoggarth, a 23-year NHL veteran official.
"I didn't mean to hit him," responded Ingham.
"That's no excuse," said Hoggarth, "You got two minutes for being stupid."
That was six years ago, and Ingham won't be suiting up for the Emergency Services team this year. The Prince George firefighter has enough on his plate as chief organizer of the 22nd annual Oldtimers Hockey Challenge this Saturday at the Coliseum.
The game features NHL Hall of Fame centre Bryan Trottier, who won six Stanley Cups as a player for the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins, and a seventh as an assistant coach for the Colorado Avalanche. With 524 goals and 1,425 points in 1,279 regular season games, he averaged more than a point per game. The native of Val Marie, Sask., also played 221 playoff games, totaling 71 goals and 113 assists for 184 points
Joining Trottier on the Legendary Hockey Heroes squad is Bernie Nicholls, a key cog in the Los Angeles Kings' Triple Crown line, who later played on a line with Wayne Gretzky. His instant chemistry with the Great One's led Nicholls to a career-high 70-goal, 150-point season in 1988-89. Nicholls also played for the New York Rangers, Edmonton, New Jersey, Chicago and San Jose, finishing his NHL career with 475 goals and 1,209 points.
Canucks fans will get a thrill out of seeing Cliff Ronning leaping the boards at the Coliseum. Just five-foot-eight and 170 pounds, Ronning played 22 seasons as a pro, including stints with Vancouver, St. Louis, Phoenix, Nashville, Los Angeles, Minnesota, New York Islanders. Known for his smooth skating stride, Ronning scored 306 career NHL goals and totaled 869 points.
Former Prince George Cougars general manager Dennis Polonich is back in Prince George with the Legendary Hockey Heroes after a two-year absence. The five-foot-six, 165-pounder from Foam Lake, Sask., played more like he was six-foot-two, 210 pounds, and that led to an eight-year NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings.
Polonich was GM of the Cougars when they had the likes of future pros Zdeno Chara, Blair Betts, Ronald Petrovicky, Eric Brewer, Tyler Bouck, Joel Kwiatkowski, and Chris Mason. Petrovicky will suit up on Saturday for the Emergency Services team.
Gary Leeman scored 50 goals and 95 points in 1989-90, his eighth season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and was part of the blockbuster trade in 1991 that sent Doug Gilmour from the Calgary Flames to Toronto. He finished off an 11-year NHL career with Montreal.
Former Kamloops Blazer Doug Bodger brings his reputation as an offensive-minded defenceman with Pittsburgh, Buffalo, San Jose, New Jersey and Vancouver. He had a 54-point season in 1992-93 with the Sabres and finished with 106 career goals and 528 points.
If any of the Emergency Services players get out of line, they'll likely have to deal with Jimmy Mann, a former NHL enforcer with the Winnipeg Jets, Quebec Nordiques and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Warren Skorodenski will be the last line of defence for the Legendary Heroes. The former Calgary Wrangler junior star played 11 seasons of pro hockey with Chicago, Edmonton and the Canadian national team.
Jack Valiquette will be the whistle-blower as guest referee in Saturday's game. Valiquette was Toronto's first-round draft pick in 1974 and played four seasons with the Leafs before he was traded to Don Cherry's Colorado Avalanche.
The pros will no doubt make life difficult on the ice for the Emergency Services team, which is made up of firefighters, peace officers, doctors, paramedics, corrections officers, and sheriffs. The team includes goalies Guy Walch and Devon Spooner, and skaters Denver McCullough, Tristan Powell, Andrew Zielinski, Ryan Nelson, Jason Jaques, Mike Buchanan, Jerry Bissette, Derreck Goodine, Al Bristowe, Mike Stachoski, Rob Forgeron, Stew Malgunas and Petrovicky.
Proceeds from the game will go to the Prince George and area Child Development Centres. Tickets are $20, available at the Coliseum box office. During the game, a display of silent auction items of NHL memorabilia will be set up in the Coliseum concourse.
Game time is 6 p.m.
