TORONTO -- Anson Carter remembers the time he got to skate at Maple Leaf Gardens as a kid.
Growing up in the Toronto neighborhood of Scarborough, Carter did not have the opportunity to attend Toronto Maple Leafs games, but at school he won a read-a-thon, which afforded him what he considers to be a life-changing experience around 40 years ago.
“It was everything,” Carter said Monday. “I remember skating down the right side like I was taking a slap shot like Rick Vaive, who scored 50 goals a season with that big slap shot booming down the wing. I didn’t have a stick in my hands because it was a public skate, but I was skating down the right side doing the same type of thing.”
Carter went on to play 674 NHL games for the Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks, Columbus Blue Jackets and Carolina Hurricanes, getting 421 points (202 goals, 219 assists).
Now a studio analyst with the “NHL on TNT,” the 49-year-old, through the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition that he co-chairs with former player and ESPN analyst P.K. Subban, organized the All-Star Overtime Clinic to provide that same chance to approximately 30 teens from the Hockey 4 Youth program.
Just after the Maple Leafs and New York Islanders concluded their morning skates at Scotiabank Arena ahead of their game Monday, the teens took to the same ice which hosted NHL All-Star Weekend.
The group, made up of immigrants from countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Eritrea, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Kenya, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, Somalia and Sudan, had the chance to skate, show off their skills and take part in an on-ice clinic led by Carter and former Maple Leafs defenseman Mark Fraser.
“I remember skating around seeing the Leafs logo and looking around seeing the red seats, the gold seats, the blue seats and being in awe of the whole atmosphere and thinking this is the place where you see ‘Hockey Night in Canada’ every Saturday,” Carter said. “That to me is the most special thing and I want to give that same feeling to boys and girls because I still remember that to this day, stepping on the ice, sitting on the bench, thinking about Wendel Clark, Darryl Sittler, Borje Salming, Gary Leeman, Mike Palmateer, players that I used to just dream about watching.
“So, to be able to give these boys and girls that same opportunity, that really I think is something special. To go and skate on the actual ice they watch their heroes skate on, that to me is next level. The League this past week did a tremendous job organizing skating sessions at Nathan Phillips Square, which was great, and this is just another step toward giving these kids unique experiences to motivate them and get them fired up about hockey and fall in love with the game that I love.”
