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Bryan Mudryk Fundraiser + Trade Wars II Wrap-Up |
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Hi ya. Fun evening here in Boyle, AB. For those of you asking "what the heck is a Boyle, AB", it's the village I reside in. Yep. 850 people and one village idiot (me).
Boyle is kind of a neat place, because I think half of the TSN broadcast team lived here at one time. Actually, that's a huge exaggeration. TSN's main curling guy Bryan Mudryk grew up here. Class clown Jay Onrait lived here too for a few years as a kid. Hey, even a place with less than 1,000 people has celebrities. Boyle has TSN guys.
Mudryk, as you may know, battled cancer as a teen and into his early 20's. For the last 10 years, he and his family have put together the Bryan Mudryk Golf Classic...an event that has raised, well, hopefully after tonight, over $1 million for the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton. I've been fortunate to attend the event for the last two years, and I'll tell you, the Mudryk family are just about the best people on the face of the earth. They've saved lives. I'm not just saying it to be dramatic. It's the truth. The money they have raised has went towards the purchase of equipment that has kept people alive, and in some cases, cured them. Bryan is a hero. A good, ol' fashioned hero. The world needs more of those.
Tonight was the 10th anniversary of the event. I don't know if this has happened in the past, but this year, the provincial and federal government are matching the full amount of the total funds raised. A rep from the Cross in Edmonton spoke about where the money raised will be going, and it's pretty incredible stuff. New technology, invented in Edmonton, that can pin-point cancer cells with an MRI and allow doctors to immediately administer targeted radiation treatment. I hope my explanation of this is somewhat accurate; I apologize to the CCI if I'm screwing it up. In any case, the Cross will have the first one of these thingies in the world. Like I said, heroes. Lives saved. Big difference made.
I know this is a hockey site, and a big long ramble about non-hockey stuff doesn't belong here. But since I have the web space and the opportunity, allow me, as someone who has a father who is currently battling cancer, to encourage you to get involved with this charity. Donate. Donate cash; donate time, donate items if you have the ability. At the event, survivors of cancer speak. Hearing them describe the hell they've faced, survived, and eventually conquered, will change your life. Regardless if I had $100 or $10,000 in my wallet tonight, it was coming home empty.
If you have the capacity, be a hero. Get involved. www.bryanmudrykgolfclassic.com
If a little place in the middle of nowhere like Boyle can work together to raise almost $1mil in one night, imagine what we could all do if we made this a priority. Thank you for reading this.
Now, hockey. Hey, a hockey story from the fundraiser: There is an auction. People donate all sorts of things. One sponsor donated a $10,000 gift certificate for his jewelry store. Other people donated golf weekends, trips, and expensive booze. Because this is a TSN/CTV sponsored event, there is plenty of sports merch auctioned off. Tonight was signed jersey night. An autographed and framed Stamkos. Signed and framed Joffrey Lupul, and Henrik Sedin. There were three Oilers jerseys: Hall, Eberle and Nugent-Hopkins. Here's the interesting part - Which jersey did the bidders go crazy for? Hall's...did just okay. Eberle...almost $2,000. I think that was $1,700. Nuge...well over $2,000. The fans love them some Nuge in Edmonton. Everyone was going crazy for the Nuge jersey.
I would like to thank Team 1260's and OilersNation.com personality Jason Gregor for not punching me in the face when I went to speak with him. Poor Edmonton-area sports media: I give them such a hard time. Gregor does a tremendous amount of charity work, and was absolutely hilarious tonight. Let's just say he can do magical things with golf balls. He's a very good person. And thanks, once again, for not punching me in the face.
With regards to Trade Wars II...
I am leaving this item as a cliff-hanger. Yep, I just did dat. There was one deal left to work out. Travis Yost made the following offer involving the two remaining teams:
The Pittsburgh Penguins send D Paul Martin, a conditional 1st round pick in 2012 (22nd overall) if Ryan Suter signs with Pittsburgh, and an unconditional 2nd round pick in 2013 for the rights to F Alex Radulov and D Ryan Suter.
What do you think my answer to this offer is? I know the answer. I'd like to see comments as to what you would do if you were me.
On the one hand, Radulov clearly doesn't want to be in Nashville and Nashville needs to move him. Or is it Nashville doesn't want him? Not sure what happened there. Anyway, the point is, he's a tremendous talent with a bad attitude. What's a player like that worth in the modern NHL? As far as Suter goes, obviously he isn't staying in Nashville...he would have re-signed already if he was planning to. His trade value is completely debatable. How much is 10 days of a player during the off-season worth? All you are trading for is the right to talk to him. On July 1st, if you can't sign him, you've just thrown away a 2nd round pick on him.
On the other hand, if there is a team that could appeal to both Radulov and Suter, it's Pittsburgh. Can you imagine adding those two to the already stacked Penguins roster? Ridiculous. I am not a Paul Martin fan at all, and two picks does not equal two of the biggest talents in the NHL. Is this a case of something being better than nothing? Or is there a better deal out there to be had? Whatever shall I do?
It's Father's Day. For those who still have a dad, take time to tell him you love him today. For those who has lost theirs regardless of reason, take time to remember and be thankful.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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