Charity pits Hollywood vs. hockey vets
By John Wawrow, AP Sports Writer | December 4,
2004
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- It was difficult to tell who
was more excited: Michael J. Fox for playing
alongside former Buffalo Sabres star Gilbert
Perreault, or the other way around.
"Man, it's very cool. It's thrilling," Fox said
Saturday after meeting Perreault, a member of
the Sabres' famed French Connection of the
1970s. "I mean, I'm skating with the French
Connection today. Give me a break. It's just
insane. That's nuts. I love it."
The feeling was more than mutual.
"I had a big thrill playing with him," Perreault
said. "He's got a lot of guts. And good luck to
him. He's a wonderful man."
Hollywood met Hockey Legends in Buffalo as part
of former Sabres captain Pat LaFontaine's
Champions in Courage charity game to raise money
for Buffalo Women and Children's Hospital.
The event, which included a corporate game and
banquet on Friday, raised more than $200,000 for
LaFontaine's goal of building a computer
playroom for children at the hospital the NHL
Hall-of-Famer regularly visited while playing
for the Sabres in the 1990s.
And Fox's participation added a special
significance to the game.
He's the "Back to the Future," "Family Ties" and
"Spin City" star who remains active while
suffering from Parkinson's disease, a chronic
disorder of the central nervous system that
causes tremors, stiffness and loss of balance.
"Very inspiring," Perreault said. "He's a great
gentleman."
Fox might have curtailed his acting career since
retiring from "Spin City" in 2000, but he still
enjoys an occasional game of hockey. This was
his second time on the ice in the past two
months after participating in comedian-actor
Denis Leary's charity game in Boston.
Fox, however, is the first to poke fun at his
hockey prowess, going back to his days growing
up in Canada.
"I played in Ontario and then in Alberta and in
Vancouver, and I never got good wherever I
played," Fox said with a laugh.
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