T<\/span>he end of October <\/span>is always a special time for the NHL Alumni Association<\/span>,<\/span> as it <\/span>marks our <\/span>A<\/span>nnual <\/span>G<\/span>ala <\/span>C<\/span>elebration<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Although this year we <\/span>weren\u2019t able to celebrate this momentous occasion <\/span>in person, we want<\/span>ed<\/span> to take a look back at <\/span>our last class of inductees from 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joining an already distinguished group of NHL Alumni, Ray Bourque was named our\u00a02019\u00a0Keith Magnuson\u00a0\u2018Man of the Year\u2019. This award is presented to an NHL Alumni member who has applied the intangibles of perseverance, commitment and teamwork\u00a0both on the ice as a player and off the ice as an NHL Alumni\u00a0member.\u00a0Ray\u2019s impressive 22 seasons on-ice resume consists of numerous notable achievements,\u00a0including the 1980 Calder Trophy, 1992 King Clancy Trophy, 2003 Lester Patrick Trophy, 5 Norris Trophies and a Stanley Cup Championship in 2001. A true leader in every sense of the word, these numerous team and individual accolades cement Ray\u2019s position as one of the game\u2019s greatest players. Building upon his already impressive career with the Bruins and Avalanche,\u00a0Ray\u2019s\u00a0tremendous work\u00a0ethic\u00a0transitioned off the ice\u00a0into\u00a0the community with\u00a0his Bourque Family Foundation.\u00a0Raising over $20 million to support more than 1,000 different organizations with various missions from establishing after school programs to famine relief, Ray and his foundation are setting an example of greatness that we should all follow to this day.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Inspiration can come from many different sources. For the 2019 St. Louis Blues inspiration came from a strong young girl by the name of Laila Anderson.\u00a0Sitting in last place in January,\u00a0the St. Louis Blues were faced with an uphill climb, one that no one thought they would conquer. For Laila Anderson, she was entering a battle of her own. Diagnosed with a rare life-threatening auto-immune disease, the avid Blues fan wanted nothing more than for her\u00a0\u2018boys\u2019\u00a0to defy all odds and show the world that anything can be overcome.\u00a0After meeting\u00a0numerous\u00a0St. Louis Blues\u00a0during her treatments\u00a0in the hospital, Laila became a beacon of hope for the team that everyone had counted out. To the dismay of others, the team made an impressive berth into\u00a0the\u00a0playoffs with Laila by their side the whole way.\u00a0Improbable win after improbable win, the St. Louis Blues accomplished something doubters had only recently deemed impossible, they lifted Lord Stanley\u2019s Cup as\u00a0Champions. In an iconic moment, Laila Anderson and the St. Louis Blues hoisted hockey\u2019s greatest trophy, proving that anything is possible. An inspiration to the entire hockey community, the NHL Alumni Association was honoured to present Laila Anderson with our 2019 Keith McCreary\u00a0\u20187th\u00a0Teammate\u00a0Award\u2019\u00a0for her tremendous bravery, strength and spirit in the face of adversity.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The\u00a0NHL Alumni Association\u2019s\u00a0Ace Bailey\u00a0\u2018Award\u00a0of Courage\u2019 is presented to an individual who has shown exceptional courage and exemplary determination in life. Chris Joseph\u2019s incredible bravery was demonstrated following the Humboldt tragedy that saw the loss of 16 members of the Humboldt Broncos\u2019 hockey team including his son, Jaxon. Chris\u2019 compassion, openness, and determination to make roads safer are constant embodiments of strength and courage for the entire hockey community, and he and his family have been acatalyst for change and hope\u00a0for all those affected.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n With a family of over 3,800 members worldwide, the NHL Alumni\u00a0Association is a constantly growing organization of players who have all shaped the game\u00a0that\u00a0we love. In 2019, the inaugural\u00a0\u2018Outstanding\u00a0Alumni Award\u2019 was given out to an individual NHL Alumni Chapter President that is dedicated to the success of their local Alumni chapter. This contribution is measured by\u00a0their commitment to the\u00a0community and\u00a0their efforts\u00a0to grow the game at the grassroots level. Cliff Koroll, the 2019\u00a0\u2018Outstanding\u00a0Alumni Award\u2019 recipient, has had a tremendous impact on the growth of the Chicago Blackhawks\u2019 chapter.\u00a0A distinguished NHL Alumni, we were pleased to have Cliff be our inaugural recipient of this award.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The NHL Alumni Honorary Member\u00a0is presented to someone who has distinguished themselves as a leader in their respective field.\u00a0For 2019, we were honoured to present the award to\u00a0Captain Charles Scot-Brown.\u00a0A\u00a0brave hero by every measure of the word, Captain Charles Scot-Brown has done more than distinguish himself, he has fought for his country, having served in World War II during the largest seaborne invasion in history on D-Day. A highly decorated veteran who had the tough task of taking out German radar installations on Sword Beach, Charles Scot-Brown embodies everything this honour is about. The NHL Alumni\u00a0Association\u00a0is truly grateful for his bravery and sacrifice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We are excited and hopeful to continue our long-standing tradition of\u00a0\u2018Honouring\u00a0the Past\u2019 at our 2021 NHL Alumni Association Awards Gala Celebration.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The end of October is always a special time for the NHL Alumni Association, as it marks our Annual Gala Celebration.\u00a0Although this year we weren\u2019t able to celebrate this momentous occasion in person, we wanted to take a look back at our last class of inductees from 2019. 2019\u00a0Keith Magnuson\u00a0\u2018Man\u00a0of the Year\u2019: Ray Bourque\u00a0 …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":531,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\n2019\u00a0Keith Magnuson\u00a0\u2018Man\u00a0of the Year\u2019: Ray Bourque\u00a0<\/strong><\/h6>\n
2019 KEITH MCCREARY\u00a0\u20187TH\u00a0TEAMMATE\u00a0AWARD\u2019: LAILA ANDERSON\u00a0<\/strong><\/h6>\n
2019 ACE BAILEY\u00a0\u2018AWARD\u00a0OF COURAGE\u2019: CHRIS JOSEPH\u00a0<\/strong><\/h6>\n
2019\u00a0\u2018Outstanding\u00a0Alumni Award\u2019: Cliff Koroll\u00a0<\/strong><\/h6>\n
2019 NHL ALUMNI HONORARY MEMBER: CAPTAIN CHARLES SCOT-BROWN<\/strong><\/h6>\n