CHICAGO – Playing hockey was never a serious option for former Chicago Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster.
But loving hockey? That was never a question for Dempster, a native of Gibsons, British Columbia. Dempster was on hand last week ahead of the Discover NHL Winter Classic to welcome Chicago Blackhawks players Nick Foligno and Alex Vlasic to Wrigley Field, where the Blackhawks will play the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 31.
“Hockey was never an option to play,” said Dempster, who pitched for 16 seasons in the major leagues, including parts of nine with the Cubs. “I loved hockey so much. My dad bought me a television to put in my room when I was six years old because I wanted to watch Hockey Night in Canada on Saturdays. So I had this tiny little TV that I could watch CBC. I watched Canucks games all the time.
“The Oilers were my team in the ’80s. I loved it. I would go down to the Pacific Coliseum where the Canucks played, and I would sit out in the parking lot and get autographs from players. I still have them to this day – Stan Smyl and Richard Brodeur and Gino Odjick and Pavel Bure. I love hockey. It’s such a fun game. It’s a hard game, what those guys are able to do on skates. I kind of skated like Happy Gilmore. That’s where my hockey career ended.”