Rent-A-Goalie makes save for local charities

DEER LAKE - It was rough, it was tough, it was - OK, not so much of either.

But the charity hockey game held in Deer Lake between a team of former NHLers Darren Langdon and Bob Probert along with local senior league players and the team from the popular Canadian television show Rent-A-Goalie was certainly wildly entertaining.

Probert, who will guest star in the new season of Rent-A-Goalie, played on the home team with Langdon and a gaggle of west coast senior league players. They fought hard against the visitors, who put in three periods of antics combined with some fancy shooting.

The game was attended by more than 600 fans, responding with laughter to every unorthodox move. The fans were also given the opportunity to participate in the players antics, with hockey sticks and gloves stolen from unsuspecting players and handed over to members of the crowd for safe keeping.

During the third period, Lorraine Gordon and her husband Darryl ended up in their front row seat holding a goalie stick for several minutes. "It's fun," Lorraine Gordon said simply while holding the stolen stick.

A 12-12 tie left a shootout to decide the final result. Despite a valiant effort, and several moves of the net during home-team penalty shots, the Rent-A-Goalie team couldn't pull out a win. In the end, the game rested at 13-12 for the home team.

While the game itself was all in good fun, it did earn some real benefits for the community. Following the game, a charitable donation of $2000 was given to help the local minor hockey association, along with a donation of free goalie gear and hockey gloves.

The local food bank and the Elwood breakfast program also scored big with a donation of hundreds of non-perishable food items that were brought by spectators. The non-perishable items were separated into two large mounds that fans made their way through at the end of the game in order to reach the lobby and wait for autographs.

Shalinda Troke waited in the lobby for autographs. She said she enjoyed the game.

According to her mother, Belinda Troke, the three-year-old was frustrated at one point, as free shirts were being tossed into the crowd between periods and it didn't look like she was going to get one. "Then someone threw a jersey at them and she was like 'Mom, I got a shirt,'" said Troke.

Of course the free gifts weren't limited to period breaks, as Belinda Troke explained.

While her daughter was getting a few autographs, Troke was waiting to receive another shirt for another fan and family member.

"Her little cousin was after leaving upset that he never got a shirt and so one of the guys is after going to change to give him his shirt," she said.

The new season of Rent-A-Goalie will premiere Oct. 20 at 11 p.m. NT on Showcase.

Meanwhile, the Rent-a-Goalie team, along with Bob Probert, will next be playing in Fort McMurray. When asked about the next game, Rent-A-Goalie star Christopher Bolton (aka Cake) said the team will have to find a few Newfoundlanders to have around to keep things interesting.