ESTEVAN — Supporters of the Eagle Sky Estevan Bruins heard stories from three Stanley Cup champions at the club's annual Sports Celebrity Dinner.
Joey Kocur, Brian Skrudland and Andre Roy entertained the crowd of approximately 250 people May 3 at the Power Dodge Curling Centre. They answered questions about their hockey careers from Marty Martinson, the Bruins' marketing and operations manager, and they also fielded questions from the audience.
Kocur won three championships during his career, in 1994 with the New York Rangers, and in 1997 and 1998 with the Detroit Red Wings. Brian Skrudland's championships came with the Montreal Canadiens in 1986 and the Dallas Stars in 1999, while Roy's Stanley Cup was in 2004 with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Kocur, the second cousin of new Bruins' head coach/GM Drew Kocur, was a renowned enforcer who racked up more than 2,500 penalty minutes in his NHL career. While in Detroit, he formed tandem with fellow enforcer Bob Probert.
"He was the best enforcer ever. He scored 29 goals one year. He went to the all-star game one year, and he was just an unbelievable player. I swung a little harder and took a few more chances, but we were a very good pair together."
Today's game needs more accountability, Kocur said. He noted that his friend and Saskatchewan hockey product Kelly Chase knew that if he targeted Detroit star Steve Yzerman, then Chase had to answer to Kocur and Probert.
"Nowadays, all they have to worry about is a little fine? I'm going to run the best player in the league all day long," Kocur said, quoting Chase.
Skrudland was back in Estevan for the first time in over a decade. He has spoken at the Bruins' Sportsman's Dinner in the past, coming in thanks to his connection with people like former Estevan resident Grant Fagerheim.
Affinity Place opened since Skrudland's last Estevan visit. He described the events centre as "absolutely state of the art".
"The dressing rooms, everything, seemed to be as close to top-notch as possible. So, these kids that are playing here should feel pretty important. It's a special place to be able to play some hockey."
Growing up in Saskatoon, he often came down to Estevan to play hockey and baseball. Those two sports were his life.
"My era of player, you played baseball and you played hockey. We could just naturally hit the golf ball, some of us. Some of us could find the fairway. Others couldn't."
Skrudland said he still has a love for small-town Saskatchewan. The people are the friendliest in the world, he said, and when he went to the Maritimes to play professional hockey in the American Hockey League, he found the people out east to be similar to those on the Prairies.
"They're the kindest and friendliest, and open the doors for everybody," said Skrudland.
Roy was in Estevan for the first time, but he noted that his former Lightning teammate, Chris Dingman, had a son Hunter who finished the 2024-25 season with the Bruins. When the younger Dingman saw Roy's post about being in Estevan on Instagram, he asked Roy to say hi to friends in the Energy City.
Roy marvelled at Affinity Place when touring the facility. He said he had to ask twice if it was a junior A team's rink.
"I've seen a lot of barns in my days, and even the locker room [at Affinity Place], wow! I played in Pittsburgh at the old Mellon Arena, I think it was worse than the Bruins' locker room," he said with a laugh.
He did an event with Kocur earlier this year in Zenon Park. He said he is spending more time in smaller communities, because he does a lot of charity events like speaking engagements, old-timer hockey games and golf tournaments.
"I like these little towns. People are friendly and it's always a good time," said Roy.
Roy recalled that when the Lightning went on their Stanley Cup run, he was trying to get under the skin of the opponents' best players by chirping at them without crossing a line. Sometimes it led to a fight.
"It's mostly just trying to get into the opponents' head and get them off their game. Sometimes it works. Some other times, guys like [Hockey Hall of Fame inductee] Jarome Iginla were tough to get off their game."
As far as advice for young players, Roy suggested they set a goal and always have a dream. He recalls he played two years of U18 AA hockey and didn't play major junior hockey until he was 18. Then he was drafted by the Boston Bruins and playing in the American Hockey League at age 20.
"I had a dream of playing in the NHL no matter what. I always told myself that's how I started fighting, … I'll fight and I'll do anything to reach my goal. People will criticize you, people will be jealous of you and say all kinds of things."
The dinner is traditionally the Bruins' top fundraiser of the year. A final tally for the amount of money raised this year was not immediately available.
