NHL veterans and local sporting stars at Portage Sports Dinner

Doug Gilmour, Kevin Lowe – and local sports stars are expected to be in Lac La Biche on March 3rd for the return of the Portage College Student Scholarship Fundraising Dinner.

Joining Gilmour and Lowe, who are already members of the NHL Hockey Hall of Fame, are Randy Wowk and Ken Scullion, who are inductees into the Lac La Biche County Sports Hall of Fame. The night will feature a full menu, live and silent auctions, activities and opportunities to hear from the Stanley Cup ring holders and local sports champions.

Proceeds from the $125 per seat night will go towards funding internal scholarships and scholarships for Portage students.

The annual fundraiser, which began as a promotion for the college’s athletics and academic programs, has been on hold since 2019 due to the global COVID pandemic. College President Nancy Broadbent hopes the event’s return will continue the story of community support.

“After a four-year hiatus, we are thrilled to bring our community together for an evening of good food and entertainment to raise funds for our students,” said Broadbent. “This event is an important part of our effort to make a difference in the lives of students and we hope everyone will come out to show their support.”

Previous events, dating back almost two decades, helped establish a self-generating endowment fund – the Spirit of Community Partnership – which has helped raise about half a million dollars. Money from this fund is given annually to Portage students who give back to their community, said Rick Flumian, Portage’s manager of community relations.

Flumian says the ability to provide scholarships and financial aid to students — especially in the current economic environment — significantly eases the pressure on the diverse demographics the college serves.

“We’ve got young students, returning students, mature first-generation learners, single parents, and we’re all seeing increases in our daily expenses — food, fuel, housing,” he said. “These scholarships go a long way in helping students get through their school year. We see this as a way to take some of the pressure off of these students.”

The fundraiser is also helping ease the pressure on the college’s own operating budgets, which have been slashed and frozen by the provinces in recent years.

“The community, the support that we see at events like this is a helping hand to generate those internal grants,” he said.

College officials have a goal of $60,000 this year. Tickets for the March 3 event are available now through the college’s website. A link to the website can be found in the digital version of this story at www.lakelandtoday.ca.

Gilmour and Lowe had glittering careers in the NHL and were constantly opposite characters Battle of Alberta Stage between the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers in the 1980s and 90s.

Lowe, now 64, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2020. The elite defenseman played 20 NHL seasons starting in 1979. He was the Oilers’ first NHL draft pick in their first NHL season in seven seasons in World Hockey Association. Lowe is credited with scoring the Oilers’ first regular-season NHL goal on October 10, 1979 — via a feed from Wayne Gretzky and Brett Callighen. Lowe played 13 seasons with the Oilers, including five that resulted in Stanley Cup victories. He played for the New York Rangers from 1992 to 1996 and won another Stanley Cup ring in 1994. He returned to the copper and blue In 1998, Lowe ended his playing career for two final seasons. Since then, Lowe has served as the Oilers’ head coach, general manager and president of hockey operations. He was also the manager of the 2002 Canadian Winter Olympic Team and the 2004 World Championship.

Gilmour, now 60, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011. He also played 20 NHL seasons, retiring from the ice in 2003. His NHL career began in 1982 with the St. Louis Blues after three outstanding years as the Ontario Hockey League’s top devenceman. In 1988 he joined the Calgary Flames and was part of the 1989 Stanley Cup-winning squad. He stayed with Calgary until 1992, when he joined the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he set a franchise record with the club, scoring 127 points in his first full season. That year, he won the Selke Trophy as the league’s top defenseman and finished second behind Mario Lemieux in the league’s MVP Hart Trophy race.

Gilmour played with the Leafs until 1997 when he joined the New Jersey Devils, where he spent a full season. He played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabers and Montreal Canadiens over the next four seasons before returning to the Leafs for the 2002-2003 season. An injury in his first return leg shortened that season. He announced his retirement in September 2003. The Leafs retired his number 93 in 2009 at a special ceremony at the Air Canada Centre.

College is no stranger to Stanley Cup-winning athletes. Kevin McClelland, a four-time Stanley Cup winner with the Edmonton Oilers, is the head coach of the Portage Voyageurs men’s hockey team. McClelland was a Lowe’s Oilers NHL teammate from 1984 to 1990.

Inducted into the local Sports Hall of Fame, Ken Scullion is recognized for his years of dedication to local boxing and youth activities, as well as his support of community events. Randy Wowk was inducted into the Lac La Biche County Sports Hall of Fame for his work with local hockey and baseball and mentoring roles as a hockey official and community supporter.