Dennis Bonvie Ready For 2018 AHL Outdoor Classic Alumni Game
The 2018 AHL Outdoor Classic this weekend is more than just Saturday night's game between the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and Hershey Bears. While Saturday night's game will be the main focus of Inside AHL Hockey's coverage this weekend, there are still plenty of other events associated with this event worth talking about.
Thursday night was Hershey's annual Hockey & Heels Night, which this year was done outdoors on the rink at HersheyPark Stadium. Tonight, the Alumni game between the Hershey Bears Alumni and Philadelphia Flyers Alumni is jam-packed with legendary NHL players including Ray Bourque, Eric Lindros, John Leclair, and many more.
Despite being a member of the Hershey Bears in just parts of two seasons throughout his 15-year pro career spanning from the 1993-94 season up through his final year in 2007-08, Dennis Bonvie will be taking part in Friday's Alumni Game donning a Hershey Bears sweater.
"To be asked to go back and be a part of that, it's pretty nice," Bonvie said last weekend while he was taking in the Phantoms game against Springfield. "Play against the Flyers - it's going to be a pretty good spectacle. And fun to be a part of."
One interesting note on the Alumni rosters is the amount of tough customers that will be lining up against each other Friday night.
Bonvie is pro hockey's all-time leader in penalty minutes in both the American Hockey League and pro hockey altogether with 4,804 PIM in his career, but there will be plenty of former NHL enforcers at the game including Nick Kypreos, Aaron Asham, Riley Cote and Todd Fedoruk.
"Philly always got some tough guys, no doubt about that," Bonvie joked with Inside AHL Hockey. "They've always had that in the lineup. It'll be lots of fun. It's actually impressive with both lineups they have. Like I said, it's nice to be thought of that way and brought back to be a part of that."
After his playing days, Bonvie has managed to stick around the pro hockey scene - getting into scouting and player development most notably six years with the Chicago Blackhawks organization during which the team won three Stanley Cups and now currently in his third year of scouting with the Boston Bruins organization.
"I've been fortunate that I'm still in the game. There's nothing like playing - there's no doubt about that," Bonvie added. "You're learning stuff everyday, especially in this game. I've been a part of some really good organizations, around a lot of great hockey minds. You just try to be a sponge to that, kind of soak up the information. Just try to continue to get better everyday."
Bonvie is often seen at the PPL Center in downtown Allentown, Pa and at Giant Center in Hershey, Pa. scouting the AHL games for that next diamond in the rough. Tonight, he'll be able to lace them back up and get out on the ice with plenty of familiar faces - something he said he's looking forward to. At the end of the day, Bonvie is glad to still be involved in the sport.
"You see a lot of good players, good prospects day in and day out. Pretty good opportunity for me to be a part of a great game, and be a part of an NHL team - especially a great one like the Boston Bruins."
