The 2011 NHL Alumni Gala and Grapes with the Greats - Interview with Mark Napier

Mark Napier and Andrew Rodger at the
2011 "Grapes with the Greats"
(Photo by Dianne Rodger, copyright The Voice of Sport)

Every year, the NHL Alumni Association honours individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the hockey community and put forth the extra effort to help grow the game at all levels. On September 26th and 27th, members of the NHL Alumni Association and their supporters gathered in Toronto for the annual NHL Alumni Gala Dinner and Awards, as well as a wine tasting event known as Grapes with the Greats.

With Claude Lemieux and Jeremy Roenick sharing the hosting duties at the Gala Dinner, the 2011 Man of the Year Award was presented to Stanley Cup Champion, Hall of Famer and hockey legend Lanny McDonald. The Keith McCreary ‘7th Man’ Award, which recognizes a person outside of the Alumni Association that has made an exceptional contribution to the game, was presented to Ron MacLean from the CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada. The recipient of this year’s Ace Bailey Award of Courage was Earl Cook. An inspirational young man from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Earl touched many lives before he passed away on September 18th at the age of 23.

I recently spoke with NHL Alumni Executive Director Mark Napier to discuss the events and the honourees. You can read the interview at the NHL Alumni website