Rangers alumni participate in charity game benefitting local hockey organization

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By Joseph Gucciardo

DIX HILLS, NY — Hockey greats and their admirers met on the rink for a charity game on Long Island on Saturday, February 9th.

New York Rangers alumni Ron Duguay, Colton Orr, Brian Mullen, and Darius Kasparaitis suited up once again along with many of the parents and coaches of the minor hockey teams at the Dix Hills Ice Rink in a 60-minute game. All funds earned benefitted the Long Island Rebels junior hockey organization and for renovations needed at the rink.

The four former players were split between two teams. One team, which featured Mullen and Orr, wore white Rangers sweaters, while the other, which featured Duguay and Kasparaitis, wore blue Rangers sweaters.

At the halfway point, there was an intermission which featured the alumni playing a small game of pickup hockey with members of the Rebels’ 7-8-year-old Mites team.

In the end, the Blue squad topped the White team by a final score of 13-11.

CHARITY SHENANIGANS

The four alumni at the fundraiser lifted the spirits of the disheartened Rangers fans in attendance after the previous night’s loss, doing comical on-ice acts that had fans in hilarity. After the White squad was awarded a penalty shot after Kasparaitis drew the penalty, Duguay intentionally got in the way of the white team’s shooter, in a comical attempt to distract him on his shot attempt.

When the Blue team was awarded a penalty shot moments later, Orr threw his Gatorade bottle on the ice in the path of Blue’s shooter, which was done in an attempt to break his thoughts heading towards the net.

HALL-OF-FAME PRESENCE

The charity game came one night after the Rangers honored their entire 1993-94 season team that won the Stanley Cup 25 years ago.

Rangers legend and Hockey Hall-of-Famer Rod Gilbert was in attendance in Dix Hills and served as the head coach for the team in White. Every player participating in the game set a fundraising goal. Lawrence Spring raised the most and overall, $39451 of the $40000 goal was raised.