One-On-One with Pat LaFontaine

Former Buffalo Sabres Spreads the Message of ‘Getting Fit’

Pat LaFontaine.  The mere name conjures up images of hockey heroics and memorable play-by-play calls (Rick Jeanneret anyone?) of his awesome run while a member of the Buffalo Sabres.  Although never a champion while with the team, Pat brought a level of excitement to the Buffalo hockey world few had witnessed since the glory days of The French Connection.  

Imagine my excitement upon being assigned this article, having grown up collecting trading cards of his, and decorating my walls with newspaper clippings and posters of he and my many other local sports heroes.  

Nowadays, Pat can be looked at as a hero for the ways he is giving back to communities and to children throughout North America.  I was lucky enough to catch up with him to get some insight into his involvement in the Centurion Cycling event coming to Ellicottville, NY.

First things first, thanks for being a part of this event. When did Companions For Courage get started?  What was the motivation behind the start?

Companions in Courage (www.CiC16.org) was inspired by the many children I met in children’s hospitals during my playing days in the NHL. One boy in particular, Robert Schwegler of Williamsville, NY, became quite close to me. I used to visit him at Women and Children’s Hospital and we’d play video games. We became friends and I got as much motivation from him as he got from me.  It got me wondering what we could do to make it possible for these kids in hospitals to connect to the outside world. When I retired, I wrote a book called, “Companions in Courage,” that featured short inspirational stories of heroic athletes. We took the proceeds of the book in 2003, and used it to start this foundation dedicated to connecting hospitalized children to the outside world. We believe that “no child in the fight for life or health should ever have to go through it alone.”

Are there currently any Lion's Den's in area hospitals?

In addition to providing mobile XBox Kiosks to several local hospitals, the Companions in Courage Foundation has built a Lion’s Den Room at both Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo and at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. In both cases, we worked closely with the Buffalo Sabres, Microsoft, Cisco and DuPont to bring the rooms to these facilities. At Roswell, we also joined forces with Carly’s Club.

Is the primary focus Upstate NY or is a more far reaching charity/outreach?

It may have been a little idea with seeds in Western New York, but the Companions in Courage Foundation now serves more than 50,000 hospitalized children per year in almost 100 hospitals throughout North America. We now have 18 Lion’s Den rooms in hospitals from Alberta to Florida and we have distributed 400 custom-built mobile kiosks in hospitals throughout the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.

Anything else we should know about your partnership with

Centurion? (Says it was years in the making … any details behind that?)

I’ll share a story with you that very few people have ever heard. The founder of Centurion Cycling is Graham Fraser, a wonderful friend who also founded Ironman North America. I did the first of my 6 Ironman Triathlons in Panama City, Fla. in November 2004, and that’s where Graham and I first met. We quickly realized we shared a love of hockey, we shared a passion for charitable work, and our kids were around the same age … there was a lot in common. Each winter, I host a backyard hockey tournament at my house and Graham brings in his friends from Lake Placid to join the fun. A couple of years ago, Graham was in town and we were driving to my son’s hockey game. We got to talking about creating signature cycling events and I suggested, “why don’t you create a Centurion event for those who want to cycle 100 miles?” He jumped on his mobile phone, secured the name and the URL for a website and created another Graham Fraser phenomena!

Ok, we've got a lot of cycling enthusiasts around here … what is your current bike set-up?

I’m a big numbers guy, but it’s really just a coincidence that I ride a “Seven” (1+6 = 7!). The bike is 14 years old, but I just love it! It has taken me over thousands of miles, including last year’s 550-mile charity bike ride I did with former NHLer Steve Webb (and Graham!), from Toronto to New York City in just 48 hours! But that’s a story for another day...

How often do you ride, at what intensity level, etc.?

I love to ride, but like everyone, I sometimes have a hard time fitting training rides in. I’ll try and do about 100 miles per week, averaging about 20 miles per hour. Hockey players tend to be drawn to cycling as it’s much less impactful than running on our worn-out knees and hips. A lot depends on where I am and what my kids are doing that determines what my training time looks like. It also depends on if I’m training with a specific event in mind.  If I’m going to do an Ironman Triathlon or a century ride with Centurion Cycling, I’ll pick up that pace a bit.

Do you have any more charity rides or events coming up that we should be aware of for your foundation?

A few of us from the CiC Foundation just did the Centurion Cycling event at Lake George and we really had a great time. I’m looking forward to Ellicottville because it’s going to give me a chance to connect with some of my old friends from the Buffalo Sabres. Plus, we are really looking to raise awareness about the importance of staying fit. We’ve scheduled a little 11.5 (numbers again ... 11+5 = 16) ride that ANYONE can do, and Graham dubbed it “Pedal with Pat”. We’re hoping to raise awareness about childhood obesity and get some parents to dust off the old Schwinn hanging on their garage wall and join us for a fun, family day.

Finally, people will kill me if I don't ask a few sports questions: who was your favorite line-mate over the years?  I'm thinking Mogilny since you guys were ‘scarrry good’ (a la Jeanneret) but maybe someone else over the years?

Alex and I certainly created some magic together during our time in Buffalo. It was so much fun playing with a guy with that much speed, talent and passion for the game.

What do you think of the direction of the Sabres now that Pegula has purchased the team?  Are you still fairly involved with the team?

Terry is a very special owner who just seems a perfect fit for this city. It’s not often that a spirited season ticket holder from the 70’s and 80’s can be in a position to buy the team they rooted for their whole life. He and his wife, Kim, have a real passion for the Sabres and the city. I am happy to support them in anything they are doing to help bring the Stanley Cup to Buffalo!

Last but not least, who is going to win a championship for the City of Buffalo first - the Bills or Sabres? (Both have exciting seasons on tap.)

I love the Bills. (In fact, I was just with Jim Kelly in Washington DC for the 2012 Jefferson Awards).  But ... I‘ve got to believe the Sabres will win a Stanley Cup before the Bills win the Vince Lombardi Trophy!

The “Pedal with Pat LaFontaine” event will take place during the Centurion Cycling-Ellicottville stop during the weekend of Aug. 17-19. For more information on “Pedal With Pat” or how you can be involved with Companions in Courage, click over to CenturionCycling.com.