A rare occasion for hockey’s Larry Robinson nowadays, he is in New Glasgow for the Scott Weeks Celebrity Golf Tournament, being played today at Abercrombie Country Club.
During Robinson’s playing days these were a regular occurrence for him, but now his focus in the summer tends to be on family.
“I did these a lot when I was growing up and first in the NHL, but now in my summers I try to keep them as much for my family as I can because with hockey we’re gone most of the time the rest of the year.”
As soon as the event is over he is flying home to Florida where he will attend his grandson’s baseball tournament. Robinson said that he doesn’t want to miss any more time like this than he has to.
“When my son was growing up and going to tournaments I was away playing myself and my wife had to take him,” he said. “I missed a lot of things that happened when my son was growing up and now that I have a grandson I don’t want to miss those same or similar things with him.”
With this being the case, the main reason Robinson decided to attend the tournament was because of his connection with Colin White, whom he coached in New Jersey.
“I’m here because of Colin, John Sim and those guys, what they stand for and what they’re doing for their community,” he said. “It’s great that when these guys left their hometown that they didn’t forget where they’re from and where their roots are.”
“That has always been my philosophy and I’ve always given back to my community as well, so it’s great to know that these guys do the same thing here.”
Although the current hockey stars receive a lot of praise in the community, Robinson created his own buzz Thursday night at the dinner at the Bluenose Curling Club. He said that having been away from events like the charity golf tournament for awhile it has been nice to enjoy again.
“It’s been very humbling to be here,” he said. “I’ve been away from the game and into management for about 14 or 15 years now, so I’m not really in the limelight anymore, so it’s nice. Everyone I’ve met has been great and I feel really welcome here.”
Hailing from Winchester, Ont., which currently has a population of approximate 2,500 according to Stats Canada, Robinson says he feels at home in a small town like New Glasgow.
“I’m really comfortable in this kind of atmosphere and Whitey and I have a lot in common the way our careers went and the areas we came from, so this is a great experience.”
White said that it is great to have Robinson in his hometown and to meet many of the people that helped him get to where he is today.
“Larry is my right-hand man and he taught me how to play my position and coming from one of the best, obviously I was all ears,” he said. “He just helped me through a lot of situations on and off the ice. He’s a great person and I wanted to bring him down here and it finally worked out.”
“I know everybody in this town will appreciate a guy like him coming here.”
Having Robinson here he said the biggest thing he wanted to point out is that he is just a regular guy and coming from a small town understands what it means to work hard.
“Sure we all love him as a hockey player and as a person too, but he’s a regular guy,” said White. “He comes from a small town and knows what hard work is, highs and lows in life, just like any other person. It takes a good community to bring the best out in people and he figured if he could come down and help us out it would be a good cause.”
By: Christopher Cameron | Sports Reporter
