The Windsor Essex Sports Persons of
the Year Awards banquet Sept. 25 at the Caboto Club will be a
flashback evening for those old enough to have lived through it
and a history lesson for those born after the momentous 1972
Canada-Russia Series.
In addition to the dinner's keynote
speaker Paul Henderson, the man who scored the series-winning goal
with 34 seconds left in Game 8, WESPY organizers have arranged for
the Hockey Hall of Fame to bring a display of memorabilia from the
series to town as part of the festivities.
In addition, the hall of fame's
display will include the Canada Cup as well as the NHL's five
major individual trophies -- the Art Ross (scoring leader), the
Norris (top defenceman), the Conn Smythe (playoff MVP), the Hart
(league MVP) and the Vezina (top goaltender).
"People don't get to see all
that stuff here and in the Hockey Hall of Fame these trophies are
encased," WESPY's founder and organizer Domenic Papa said.
"In this display, they'll get a chance to see it up close and
be able to touch them and pick them up."
The hall's display will arrive in
Windsor Sunday, Sept. 23 at Bob Reaume's Sports.
PUBLIC VIEWING
The public is well welcome to view
it from 2-5 p.m. that day, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sept. 24 and from 10
a.m.-2 p.m. on the 25th.
After that the display will be
shifted to the Caboto Club as part of the WESPY banquet.
Various Windsor Spitfires players
will also be available for autographs and pictures at Bob Reaume's
during the displays on the Sunday and Monday.
To help raise funds for the Windsor
Essex County Sports Foundation, which supports teens and athletes
in the local area, you can have a picture taken with the trophies
for a $10 donation.
Article courtesy of the Windsor Star
- Dave Waddell
-
A
Message from the Founder
Immediately after the completion of the 2nd annual Windsor/Essex County Sports
Persons of the Year Awards ceremony (WESPY's), the question
put forth by many was simply, how are you going to top that show?
Well, here is the game plan. The WESPY ceremony will strive each and every
year to remain consistent. The celebration of the accomplishments
of our athletes and teams will be the focal point of the evening.
Raising money for the Hospice of Windsor and the Windsor/Essex
County Sports Foundation will once again be the goal. Our title
sponsor, Windsor Family Credit Union (WFCU) is back on board. I
can't thank Mr. Marty Komsa and his team at WFCU enough for
coming back for a third year with us. The group at Stewart
Fisher continues to be a major contributor and this year they will
be joined by King Interiors as a major sponsor. Signs of growth
and development each year will be key for the WESPY ceremony.
Last year we introduced the Ed Jovanovski award. A new "Major
Award" has been created for the ceremony this year. The
John Ferguson / Circle of Seven Volunteer of the Year award will
be implemented. A big thank you goes out to Mr. Ed Agnew and Mr.
Don Wiley and the rest of the Circle of Seven team for
believing in the WESPY awards. Mr. Patrick Ducharme will bring
his professional approach to the podium and again handle the job
of emcee. He will be joined on the sidelines by the very capable
Miss Kara Ro. Two stars that make the event shine. This
ceremony can now stand on its own and has developed a tremendous
following in our sports community. It is the most unique and most
prestigious sports awards the community has.
The WESPY's, as mentioned, is a celebration. This year an anniversary
of sorts will be recognized through our keynote speaker. It
will be the 35th anniversary of the “Goal of the Century”
when Team
Canada
defeated the
Soviet
Union
in a historic eight game summit hockey series. Paul Henderson
will be forever remembered for scoring that winning goal on
September
28th, 1972
. Mr. Henderson will bring his message of
leadership, teamwork and commitment to the audience the night of
the WESPY's.
Henderson
will speak from his own experiences, taking what he learned during
that historic summit series and also throughout his 18 year
professional career. We are honoured and excited to have Paul
Henderson as part of our team the night of the WESPY's.
In closing, I can't tell you how gratifying all of this is for myself.
Four short years ago this was simply an idea on paper I was hoping
to make happen, it is now reality. Of course, so many behind
the scenes have contributed to this event and I can't thank them
enough, they know who they are, and are all WESPY winners in my
eyes.
September 25th will be here quickly and I can't wait to see each and every
one of you at the Caboto Club.
Sincerely,
Domenic Papa
Founder of the WESPY Awards
-
-
Co-
Hosts of the WESPY Awards
-
Kara Ro & Patrick Ducharme
Paul
Henderson
The
Goal of the Century
Paul
Henderson, a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, became a
Canadian sports legend on
September
28, 1972
.
His goal, with 34 seconds remaining in the final game, lifted
Canada
to victory in the "Series of the Century", against the
Soviet
Union
.
Incredibly, Paul Henderson scored the winning goal in each of the
last three games of this historic first series between the two
superpowers of hockey. That magical moment in
Moscow
is still considered the greatest in hockey history. In 1997, on the
25th Anniversary of The Goal, Paul was immortalized on a postage
stamp issued by Canada Post and a silver coin by The Royal Canadian
Mint.
Today, Paul uses the lessons of leadership, teamwork and commitment
he learned during the 1972 Summit Series and his 18 year
professional hockey career, to motivate organizations around the
world to reach their own goals. Paul begins his presentation with a
brief video reliving the rush, glory and heart-pounding excitement
of the '72 series. Through his sharing of behind the scenes NHL
strategies, innovative insight, and humourous anecdotes, Paul
correlates his own experiences to today's competitive business
environment.
Introduction
of new major award for 2007
John
Ferguson/Circle of Seven Volunteer of the Year Award
The Windsor/Essex County Sports Persons of the Year awards (WESPY's) are
pleased and excited to have this new award available. A great deal
of hard work and dedication behind the scenes are performed by many
individuals yearly for all sports programs in our area. This
award will honour and recognize these very deserving
individuals.
It is also a great honour for our committee to have Mr. Ferguson's name
on it along with the Circle of Seven. We look forward to
growing in partnership with this outstanding group. The WESPY's
continue to grow in a positive direction. With the dedication of
this award, it adds another important element to our annual
ceremony.
Thanks
to your generosity a portion of the proceeds from the WESPYs will be donated to the
Hospice
Fund and also to the Windsor/Essex County Sports Foundation
