1th Annual Monmouth versus Ocean High School All Star Hockey Game

On the surface Jim Dowd’s 11th Annual Monmouth versus Ocean High School All Star Hockey Game is an opportunity for many of the shore’s top players to lace up the skates in the summer. 32 of them will be on the ice Sunday night at the Red Bank Armory with the Ocean County All Stars looking to end a six-year losing streak as Monmouth leads the series 7-3.

The game is the brainchild of NHL veteran Jim Dowd, who came up with the idea through his “Shoot for the Stars Foundation” which he started during his playing days with the Devils. The Brick native and Point Pleasant resident is hoping to return to the Flyers for his 18th NHL season after helping Philadelphia advance deep into the Stanley Cup Playoffs last spring.
Dowd, who turns 40 later this year does not just lend his name to this All Star game but is involved in all phases of it.

Part of that is choosing a charity to benefit from the proceeds. In the past the game has donated thousands of dollars to individuals, scholarship funds, youth hockey, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ocean County and Dottie’s House. Sunday’s game again demonstrates that this is much more than a hockey game with proceeds going to the Marks Family Fund. Randy Marks was a 40-year old father of six who on Mother’s Day along with four of his children went to place flowers on the grave of his mother who had died a couple of years ago. While visiting the grave Randy suffered a fatal heart attack, witnessed by his children the oldest of which is
9 years old. A well-liked carpenter for the borough of Spring Lake, he leaves his wife Susan and the six children from 7 months to 9 years old.

So while the hockey game is obviously a good time and great experience for the players and their families there is an underlying theme of giving back which is what Dowd has done throughout his professional career. Game time is 6pm at the Red Bank Armory, there will be raffles and giveaways, a free rally towels to the first 400 fans and former Devil Bruce Driver will drop the first pick. Both of last summer’s MVP’s are back….Ken Yasenchock of Monsignor Donovan and Red Bank Catholic’s Kevin Pecca.

If you can’t attend but would like to support the Marks Family Fund then you can send a donation to:

“Shoot For the Stars” Foundation
708 New Jersey Avenue
Point Pleasant Beach, NJ 08742

Random Notes

Random notes and items on the first Monday of May:

One of the highlights of the annual cocktail reception to support the Toms River Student Loan Fund is when a student representative from each of the three high schools is asked to talk about their education and experiences.

The trio of gentlemen who spoke Friday night were not only great ambassadors for their schools and families but three who will no doubt go on to great success. Keith Marschner of Toms River East is headed to Cornell University, Andriy Kuzmov of High School North will be attending the School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University and Patrick Park of High School South is Princeton-bound. By the way Patrick is the third of three Park’s who have done quite well at South. Two of the brothers were Valedictorians and one had to settle for being Salutatorian.

Former first assistant Ocean County Prosecutor Terry Farley and Toms River Elks Lodge #1875 were honored during the event as were the 2007 Teachers of the Year from the school district.

Jim Dowd is one of the oldest current players in the NHL and on Christmas Day he’ll celebrate his 40th birthday. However if the Philadelphia Flyers keep winning Christmas will come early for the Brick Township native and current Point Pleasant resident who is seeking his second Stanley Cup. Dowd’s Flyers will play the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Finals beginning this week and are two steps away from capturing the Cup for the first time since 1975. Dowd helped the New Jersey Devils win their first Cup in 1995.

Today is Cinco de Mayo which many in the United States think is Mexico’s Independence Day, which is in fact September 16th. Cinco de Mayo is a regional holiday in Mexico which commemorates an initial victory of Mexican forces over French forces in 1862 and it seems the day is celebrated more in the United States where like with St. Patrick’s Day it’s become a big one for food, music and of course beverages.

Today also would have been Manny Viggiano’s 80th birthday which would have been a great reason for his family to celebrate. Unfortunately cancer took my father-in-law before this milestone birthday but today when many are toasting Cinco de Mayo they are also hoisting one for you Manny…one of the all-time greats.

Monday Random Thoughts

A little of this and a little of that to start your Monday morning:

I felt cheated by the lack of drama surrounding the final round of the Master’s Sunday at Augusta National as Trevor Immelman became the second golfer from South Africa to wear the famed “Green Jacket.” He seems like a nice guy and is a worthy champion, having led pretty much from start to finish. However what I really wanted was to see Tiger Woods
right in the thick of things on the back nine but for the second straight year
the “greatest golfer of all time” had to settle for a second place finish. Tiger knows he let this one get away and for this year grand slam talk is over.

What’s wrong with Major League Baseball’s schedule maker? After playing three games at Fenway Park this weekend the Yankees and Red Sox play Wednesday and Thursday in the Bronx and then don’t meet again until early July. At least then they won’t have to deal with bitter weather….sorry I didn’t mean to use that word Senator Obama.

I wish more people would discover and get turned on to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Last night’s Devils-Rangers overtime thriller at the Garden was exhausting to watch and New Jersey is back in the series which I still think will go 7 games.

This has been a rough year for prime time TV because of the strike that disrupted the shows, some of which are just returning after what seems like months. I have discovered a new show which is among my favorites and that’s “Eli Stone” which airs Thursdays on ABC. British actor Jonny Lee Miller plays the role of a cut throat attorney who turns good guy in large part because of a brain aneurysm that allows him to see the future. I only wish New York Mets manager Willie Randolph had the same gift when it comes to selecting relief pitchers.

The Toms River Student Loan Fund will honor former First Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor Terrence Farley, Toms River Elks Lodge #1875 and 18 teachers from the Toms River School District during its 6th Annual Recognition Cocktail Reception. The fundraiser will be held on Friday, May 2nd at the Holiday Inn of Toms River starting at 6pm. For ticket information you can call (732) 240-3366.