THUNDER BAY – Bobby Orr is coming back to Thunder Bay.
The Boston Bruins legend in July will make a third straight appearance at the Staal Foundation Open, where last year he gave 11-year-old Kiki Paterson some shooting tips before she scored the game-winning goal in the Summer Classic road hockey competition.
Kiki, a Grade 6 student at St. Martin School, on Tuesday confirmed the hall-of-famer is returning to the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada event, where in recent years he mingled with fans, signing autographs and taking pictures.
The youngster said she’s always been a fan of hockey history, but being born after Wayne Gretzky retired, she grew up not knowing who Orr was.
That changed in a hurry.
“My friend told me about him a couple of years ago and then I searched him up and was really amazed at what he’s done,” she said.
Having someone like Orr in town during the event is fantastic, Kiki added.
“I think to have him here, so many hockey players looked up to him and I think that it’s really a good idea that he’d come. He’s just a really cool guy,” she said.
Volunteer organizer Gloria Scherban said it’s great for the tournament.
“We’re so excited,” she said, officially launching this year’s search for 400 volunteers and 80 caddies.
“He’s No. 4 and this is our fourth year. And of course there are four Staal brothers. So there are lots of four themes going on here."
She’s also hopeful Orr’s name can help her volunteer recruitment. The tournament couldn’t survive without them, she said, with volunteers totaling 14,000 hours of time at last year’s event alone.
“You multiply that over three years and it’s a lot of dedication,” she said.
Golf experience is not a pre-requisite to participate, Scherban added.
To sign up, visit www.staalopen.ca.
This year’s Staal Foundation Open takes place from July 10 to 16.
