SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — A simple inquiry to pose for a quick photo turned into much more than Rodney and Brenda Savidant could have ever imagined.
It resulted in a friendship with Canada’s most recognized hockey dad, and helped lay the foundation for a connection between Walter Gretzky and their hometown of Summerside.
“Walter was a joy to be with,” said Rodney. “He was always teasing, funny, joking; just a wonderful, wonderful man to be around.”
Like hockey fans everywhere, the Savidants were sad to learn of Gretzky’s passing on Thursday, at the age of 82. Walter was predeceased by his wife, Phyllis, in 2005 and the couple raised five children – Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne, Kim, Brent, Glen and Keith – in Brantford, Ont.
The Savidants travelled through Brantford on a Sunday morning in May 2007. Along the way, they noticed a sign to Wayne Gretzky Parkway. Brenda thought it would be neat to find the house where No. 99 grew up. They found it, and Brenda snapped a couple of photos.
“She came back to the car and said, ‘I didn’t come all this way to get a picture of the house, I’m going to ring the doorbell,’” said Rodney.
There was no answer, so Brenda approached two gentlemen on the front lawn and asked if they knew “when Mr. Gretzky would be home?”
One of the gentlemen introduced himself as Glen Gretzky. He told Brenda to wait and that his father would love to meet the Savidants and he should be back soon.
“After 10 minutes went by, Glen came back out and said, ‘He’s down there at the church yacking with somebody, I will go get him, hang on,’ ” recalled Rodney. “He came back and pulled into the driveway and said, ‘Just watch for a black jag coming up the road.’
“That was a car Wayne had gotten him.”
About 10 minutes later, the black Jaguar cruised by and Walter gave a great big wave as he drove right past his home. Walter, as he had done every Sunday, was taking home a young man who was blind and travelled with him to and from church.
“Wally comes prancing across the street with a Tim’s in his hand, walks up to my wife and starts singing ‘I Love You Truly’,” said Rodney. “We never saw him before in our lives, and he never saw us.”
“We were 4 ½ hours with him in his house. We had just an amazingly wonderful time. He was so gracious and so nice to us.”
- Rodney Savidant
The Savidants were able to get three or four photos with Walter. They shook his hand and thanked him for his time and were ready to leave.
Walter told them there was no rush and invited them into the house for coffee and a snack.
Walter gave the Savidants a tour of the house, including the trophy room, as he had done for thousands of strangers who checked out the family homestead.
The Savidants got to hold trophies Wayne had won, along with wearing some of his game-worn jerseys and equipment.
“We were 4 ½ hours with him in his house,” said Rodney. “We had just an amazingly wonderful time. He was so gracious and so nice to us.”
Boys and Girls Club
After they returned home, Brenda had a conversation with Summerside Boys and Girls Club executive director Adam Binkley about their trip. The Summerside Boys and Girls Club celebrity golf tournament came up in the discussion.
Rodney asked if he would like to have Walter Gretzky?
“His chin just about hit the floor, and he said, ‘What, you know Walter’?” said Rodney. “I said, ‘Not exceptionally well, but we spent 4 ½ hours at his house, and I think we can convince him to come down.’ ”
Brenda contacted Kim Gretzky, who oversaw his bookings. She told Kim what the tournament was all about and what the Boys and Girls Club does.
Walter would become a regular at the popular event for several years. He left the same impression at the Boys and Girls Club as he did with the Savidants.
“Our golf tournament is great to raise money for our programs, but the intangibles are the memories it brings,” said Binkley. “When you got to spend a full day with Walter Gretzky, you can’t buy that.”
Spent time with kids
Walter knew the reason for his visits was the children. He made sure he spent quality time with the young boys and girls who would benefit from the golf tournament.
“The messages he had with the club members were truly unbelievable,” said Binkley. “He never did push hockey when he talked to our club members.
“What he did push was, whatever it would be – soccer, basketball, stamp collecting or marbles – doing the best that you could. If you did the best that you could no matter what it was, that was good enough for him, and it is all you can do.”
But Walter’s message did not end there. Binkley said he'd tell the club members that if you are successful, do not forget where you come from, don’t forget the people who helped you get there and don’t forget your roots.
Another strong message Walter stressed was never change who you are.
“He would get up at our dinner gala and speak in front of 1,000 people and tell stories about Wayne, but they were real stories,” added Binkley.
Today, with permission from the Gretzky family, the Summerside Boys and Girls Club operates the Walter Gretzky Ball Hockey Program.
Former Boys and Girls Club employee Nathan DesRoches witnessed first-hand Walter’s sincerity with the club members.
“Just watching somebody of that stature take time for every kid was inspiring,” said DesRoches. “He was humble, down to earth and at no point was he Wayne’s dad; it was, ‘Hi, I’m Walter, nice to meet you.’
“He was as down to earth as anyone I have come across.”
DesRoches is now an employee with Community Connections, a non-profit organization that provides employment, residential and support services to adults with intellectual disabilities. Walter also visited the Summerside-based facility, took time for each client and would sing to some.
“He made quite an impression on the community in quite a short period,” said DesRoches. “I’ve been blessed with a lot of experiences to meet some of these (celebrities), but I’ll never forget (Walter). He was a special man for sure.”
Lennox Island
Walter’s charitable work extended beyond Summerside.
The Savidants connection to Walter helped form a relationship with John J. Sark Memorial School in Lennox Island.
The school was looking to fundraise for playground equipment, and, at the time, Brenda was an educational assistant there.
She reached out to Walter, and he donated a photo of Wayne.
The plan was to sell 500 tickets at $10 each. But before any tickets were sold, an individual came forward wanting to buy all the tickets.
Allan Gillis, who was director of education for the Lennox Island First Nation at the time, called Walter to let him know that all the tickets had been sold and to thank him for his generous contribution.
“While we were talking, he said, ‘You went through your tickets pretty quick,' and I commented, ‘We still have the tickets because someone bought them all,' " said Gillis. “He said, ‘Well, in that case, why don’t I send you another picture, and you can use your tickets and do it again?’
“Within a week, we had another copy of the picture, and we sold probably 400 of the 500 tickets. Through these contributions, Walter raised almost $10,000 for the playground. That was quite amazing.”
Walter attended the official opening of the playground, signed autographs, posed for photos and chatted with community members.
As they were leaving, Gillis again expressed his appreciation to Walter. He asked Gillis about his family and told him to write their names down in his notebook.
Gillis said he never thought anything of it. That Christmas Eve, a package arrived with personalized autographed photos of Wayne from his last-ever National Hockey League game as a New York Ranger for each family member. The package also included a print of a painting and a personal note.
“I was struck by his humility, whether it was with the donations coming to the school or just talking to him on the phone, it was like you were talking to someone you knew forever. He was very genuine, humble and never lost sight of family and community.”
- Allan Gillis
“I was struck by his humility, whether it was with the donations, coming to the school or just talking to him on the phone, it was like you were talking to someone you knew forever,” said Gillis. “He was very genuine, humble and never lost sight of family and community.”
Jason Simmonds is a sports reporter with the SaltWire Network.
