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Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports "Whether you pick first overall or 12th in the draft, you'll get a wonderful guy who is going to not only communicate with you but also impart his knowledge and his experiences," said May, who played 1,041 games during an 18-year NHL career that included time with the Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks, Phoenix Coyotes, Colorado Avalanche, Anaheim Ducks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings. "There is a different side to (pro hockey) that, unless you play, you don't know," he added. "I think that's one of our responsibilities as guys that played... It's nice to share those experiences at this point in my life. People can take something away from the stories." Easter Seals Ontario held its first Celebrity Hockey Classic last year, when Eric Lindros hosted a tournament in Whitby. This year, Easter Seals Ontario added tourBrad May naments in Vaughan (Paul Retired NHL player Coffey) Kingston (Doug Gilmour) and Oakville, while Lindros returned to headline the Whitby event once again. Participating teams (up to 20 players per) are required to pay $1,800 and each of their players must raise a minimum of $300. Individual players must raise $400 for the event. All fundraising requirements are strictly enforced. Weekly prizes will be awarded for top fundraisers, including an Anaheim Ducks jersey signed by May, Mississauga Steelheads OHL tickets and an autographed 23 | Friday, November 1, 2013 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com "Connected to your Community" Charity hockey tourney offers chance to play with the pros by Jon Kuiperij Beaver Sports Editor Brad May describes playing in the National Hockey League as being part of a brotherhood. Those who have ever dreamed of suiting up in the NHL can get a small taste of that experience later this month, raising money for children with physical disabilities at the same time. May is the host and captain of the inaugural Brad May Celebrity Hockey Classic, which will take place Nov. 21-22 at Oakville's Canlan Ice Sports. The tournament, which will benefit Easter Seals Ontario, will give participants the opportunity to compete with and against former NHLers like May, Tom Fergus, Gary Leeman, Bob McGill, Kris King, Dennis Maruk, Todd Warriner, Dave Gagner, Al Iafrate, Rob Pearson, Craig Muni and others. The event will begin Thursday, Nov. 21 with a draft party at Canlan, when teams will select their ex-NHLer. The first overall pick will be awarded to the team that raised the most money for Easter Seals Ontario, a charity that provides programs and services to children and youth with physical disabilities across Ontario to help them achieve greater independence, accessibility and integration. Tournament participants will be guaranteed three games the following day. You'll get a wonderful guy who is going to... impart his knowledge and his experiences. Former National Hockey League player Brad May (right) is the official host of the upcoming Brad May Celebrity Hockey Classic, which will benefit Easter Seals Ontario. Pictured with May are (left) Lisa-Marie Smith, Easter Seals Ontario development manager, Ontario West; and Casey MacKay, Easter Seals Ambassador. | photo by Riziero Vertolli -- Oakville Beaver -- @Halton_Photog stick. "The event is fabulous, but at the end of the day, it's about raising money for kids with physical disabilities," said Lisa-Marie Smith, Easter Seals Ontario development manager, Ontario West. "We all know how expensive it is to raise kids. With a child with a physical disability, you have to multiply that so many times... You have to think about things like wheelchairs, walkers, lifts, crutches... Easter Seals families have so much financial strain on them." Money raised by Easter Seals Ontario also gives children the opportunity to attend 10-day summer camps that provide a wide range of fully accessible activities. Easter Seals ambassador Casey MacKay, 17, raved about what the camp means to him when he spoke at a breakfast event Wednesday to promote the tournament. "What a wonderful boy he is, how he can speak and resonate with people around him," May said of MacKay. "If anybody could wake up this morning and not be happy and feel like the world is against them, it would be children like him that have disabilities. But they're so inspirational to be around. They make us all better, and I think it gives us a perspective." For more information on the Brad May Celebrity Hockey Classic, visit bit.ly/172kOL3 Matt Tierney (right), pictured with his Upright Rugby Canada coach Tyler Leggatt, has been selected to the national under-18 rugby team that will conduct a two-game tour of Romania this month. | photo by Riziero Vertolli -- Oakville Beaver -- @Halton_Photog Loyola student selected for national U18 rugby tour Always bigger than his peers, Matt Tierney once struggled to find a sport he felt suited for. The 17-year-old is a rare combination of both size -- he is 6-foot-3 and 265 pounds -- and agility. The latter was developed in elementary school, when he played volleyball and rep basketball. Football seemed a logical fit when Tierney reached high school, and he suited up for the Loyola Hawks in his Grade 10 year. But the game didn't agree with him. "The game was fun, but the practices were a lot of standing around," said Tierney, who was utilized as a fullback and as a lineman. "And I was very prone to injury with my knees and ankles." A friend suggested Tierney attend a Mississauga Blues practice. The game looked fun, Tierney thought, but he still wasn't convinced it was for him. Then he suited up in his first game, and everything changed "I played prop against the Oakville Crusaders," Tierney recalled. "I've never been in so much love with a sport as I was with rugby." Thanks to the Blues as well as Upright Rugby Canada, an Oakville-based rugby training program run by Abbey Park High School teacher Tyler Leggatt, Tierney has since developed into one of the top young rugby players in the counsee Chance on p.24