A dying boy's special legacy
It changed the life of Pat LaFontaine - Hall
of famer sets up `oasis' in hospitals
BY PAUL HUNTER, SPORTS REPORTER FOR THE TORONTO
STAR
Pat LaFontaine took to the ice more than 900
times as an NHLer. Put up impressive numbers,
too. Good enough to land him in the Hockey Hall
of Fame.
But the biggest games of his life, the ones that
still resonate five years after concussions
forced him to retire, aren't the ones you'll
find on any statistical resumé. They, instead,
took place with a 12-year-old boy who was
battling terminal leukemia in an isolation ward
at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo.
His name was Robert Schwegler "and we'd play
video hockey games two or three times a week,"
recounted LaFontaine yesterday picking up the
story.
"Robert would almost always beat me. He was
always the Sabres. I was the Rangers or the
Islanders. One day I came and one of the nurses
was beside herself, she was in tears. She said,
`Thank you so much for coming. It's the only
time that Robert smiles.' I never forgot that.
Robert passed away about six months after that.
It had a huge impact on me.
"When you reflect back on this game, it's great
scoring goals, having assists and being part of
winning teams," he continued. "But when all is
said and done, if you can have an effect on
somebody and make a difference, I think that's
more important."
Last night, the hockey world gathered to
celebrate the careers of LaFontaine, Edmonton
Oiler great, and one-time Maple Leaf goaltender,
Grant Fuhr, long-time Ottawa 67's coach Brian
Kilrea and Detroit owner Mike Ilitch, all
deserving recipients of their hall of fame
rings.
LaFontaine, of course, was a dazzling,
playmaking centre for the Islanders, Buffalo and
Rangers before his career was cut short at 33.
Last night, they celebrated the fact he had six
consecutive 40-goal seasons, scored more than 30
goals nine times in his 15-season career, twice
topped the 100-point mark and had 545 helpers,
some of them the prettiest passes you'll ever
see.
Today, though, LaFontaine will go back to
working on an even bigger assist, one spawned as
an idea during his afternoons with Robert and
other similarly ill children.
While countless athletes spend time with sick
children, when LaFontaine tried to inspire
Robert, the young boy ended up inspiring him.
"I came up with this dream that if we could
create a space within a hospital that kids could
escape to, where there are no doctors and no
needles, it could be a safe haven, an oasis, a
place where they could some of their life back."
And, maybe, by improving their environment,
lengthening that life.
"Doctors have said to me on a few occasions,
there's no medical explanation as to why a
certain child is alive today," he said. "To me,
that's motivation enough."
LaFontaine, a father of three himself,
envisioned an environment where the cold,
antiseptic smells of medical care are replace by
the latest in technology where kids could play
games, create music, do artwork and video
conference with friends and family.
LaFontaine teamed with Microsoft and, through
his Companions in Courage Foundation
(www.CiC16.org), he is now beginning to build
those rooms in three American hospitals,
focusing first on the cities in which he played.
His hope, if corporate America gets involved, is
to outfit every children's hospital with a
similar environment.
Rather than lament what might have been if his
career hadn't been cut short or is he hadn't
lost a season to reconstructive knee surgery,
LaFontaine says he believes any medical troubles
he had in his life - "trivial," in the bigger
picture he says - helped prepare for what he
calls his second career.
"Throughout my career I met people who were less
fortunate. My biggest regret would have been
retiring and not taking advantage of being in a
position to impact someone else's life and
need," he said.
"Before goals and assists, that is an
accomplishment that I'm more proud of than any
games."
LaFontaine has a connection with the other
inductees.
He played midget hockey in Detroit the year
Ilitch bought the Red Wings, he played for the
New York Islanders when Kilrea was an assistant
coach, he and Fuhr were Buffalo Sabres
teammates.
"To be here with these three guys, I feel like
the luckiest guy in the world," LaFontaine said
after the four received their rings and blazers.
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