2022 SPORTSMAN DINNER
On May 26th the Estevan Bruins will host their annual Sportsman Banquet at the Power Dodge Curling Rink.
Cocktails 🍹  will start at 5:30pm
Dinner at 6:30pm
We will have a large list of silent auction items as well as 6 major items for our live auction!
Including but not limited to:
-Tanner Jeannot signed NHL jersey
-Cole Fonstad jersey
-Multiple vacation getaways
-Bruins Season Ticket Packages
-Bruins Jersey signed by all players in Centennial Cup 2022
And more to be announced!
Tickets available at the Bruins Office. Contact Adam or Amanda at 634-7730, 471-9117, operations@estevanbruins.com
Tickets are $800 for a table or $100 for a single ticket (GST Not included in the price).
The Speakers
Joe Watson
Joe Watson was one of the first hockey players drafted during the NHL expansion draft in 1967 for the newly created Philadelphia Flyers. Little did he know when he left the Boston Bruins that this unexpected career change would lead him to play on a two-time Stanley Cup champion team, eventually becoming known as the iconic Broad Street Bullies.
Joe soon earned the nickname “Thundermouth” by Flyers teammate Ed Van Impe, for his strong voice that carried from one end of the ice to the other.
Growing up in the remote town of Smithers, British Columbia, hockey was a way of life so Joe was lacing up skates as soon as he could walk, and never looked back. It was during these formative years that Joe, a left-handed defenseman, was inspired and encouraged by coaches to follow his dream of becoming a professional hockey player, and that’s all he needed. His desire, discipline, and dedication paved the way from there. By age 16, Joe was on his way to Estevan, Saskatchewan where he was selected out of 104 players for the Junior A Estevan Bruins team.
After three years with Estevan, Joe turned pro with the Minneapolis Bruins, a farm team for the Boston Bruins. From there, the franchise moved to Oklahoma City where Joe and his team won the championship and he was selected for the the All-Star team. The following year, he moved up to the Boston Bruins where he became good friends with his teammate Bobby Orr who, according to Joe, is one of the best hockey players of all time.
In 1972, Joe welcomed his younger brother Jim to the Flyers team, and the Watson brothers captivated fans with their signature defense skills. They went on to play together in both the 1974 and 1975 Stanley Cup Championships, winning two Stanley Cups. At the time, Joe and Jim were only the fourth “brother” combination in the league to win, and the first from Smithers, British Columbia.
Rod Pederson
Hall of Fame broadcaster Rod Pedersen spent 20 seasons as Voice of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders on CKRM Radio. He currently hosts his own sports talk show (The Rod Pedersen Show) daily throughout the Rod Pedersen Digital Network.
Among Rod’s accomplishments in a distinguished broadcaster career are calling four Grey Cups on national radio and World Junior Hockey Championships on the Sportsnet Radio Network.
Rod’s career includes 17 years as a play-by-play broadcaster in the Western Hockey League (1993-95 Prince Albert Raiders, 1995-2010 Regina Pats), making him the longest tenured play-by-play man in Regina Pats history. He has also called games for the Great Falls Americans of the AFHL.
The Milestone, SK product has had stints on network television with Rogers Sportsnet and The Score as a regional correspondent. Rod is also a best-selling author and his website RodPedersen.com has twice been voted Canada’s Sports Blog of the Year, with over 30-million all-time hits.
In 2003 Rod was inducted into Saskatchewan’s Rural Sports Hall of Fame.
Most recently Rod founded Pedersen Recovery Inc. where he serves as a Sober Coach for athletes and entertainers battling Addictions & Mental Illness, and is an outspoken Recovery Advocate serving as a keynote speaker.
Rod is also President of Pedersen Media Inc. which houses his Public Speaking, Media Relations & Social Media Consulting as well its subsidiary company Pedersen Recovery Coaching Inc. where Rod serves as a Sober Coach for athletes, entertainers and other public figures battling addictions. He recently completed further training to become a Recovery Coach Professional.
Craig Button
Craig Button has hockey in his blood. His intimate knowledge of the game and its players makes him an important asset to NHL On The Fly.
Growing up playing the game, as well as having an NHL executive for a father, hockey always has been a part of Craig Button’s life. He got his start in the NHL in 1988 as a scout with the Minnesota North Stars and before long was named the team’s Director of Scouting. Button stayed with the organization through its move to Dallas and later was named Director of Player Personnel, a position he held during the Stars’ Stanley Cup championship season in 1999.
From 2000-03 Button served as Vice President and General Manager of the Calgary Flames and helped build the team that eventually came within one game of winning the Stanley Cup in 2004. Button later joined the Toronto Maple Leafs as a scout.
Button grew up in Montreal and has a BA in Economics from Concordia University.
Mike Butters
Mike is widely known to his peers as the “Renaissance Man” of hockey. As an amateur player, Mike played Junior B, Junior A, Major Junior and Canadian University before embarking on a 9 year pro career, which saw him earn NHL contracts with Detroit, Quebec and Montreal during that time. He played for teams in the AHL, IHL, ECHL, Europe. and also represented his country on 4 different occasions at international tournaments.
Mike then coached in junior (AWHL, NAHL, NPHL), pro (AHL, WCHL) and two national teams. Mike was the GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s AHL affiliate, and oversaw Tampa’s minor league system. During his years with the Lightning, he also served as both a professional and college scout.
Mike’s hockey experience is far reaching. He has served USA Hockey in many capacities. Notably, he was the commissioner of 2 junior leagues and served on the USAH Junior Council for 10 years. He has also been a part of Global Sports Camps since 1995, as its Director of US Operations.
​Through his decades involved in the game as a coach and GM, Mike has been a part of over 700 players in their advancement within the college and pro ranks.