Charles Barkley once said “I am not a role model. I am paid to wreak havoc on the basketball court. Parents should be role models. Just because I dunk a basketball doesn't mean I should raise your kids.”

While I agree with his assessment and the limited influence that professional athletes should have on children, I believe there are a great number who deserve our respect.

When I look back on the teams and players I rooted for while growing up, “thank you’s” are in order.

Guy Lafleur was selected first selected first overall in the 1971 hockey draft. It was also the year I was born. Images of the Canadiens and their epic battles with the Bruins define my earliest memories of hockey. – of course those memories are in black & white.

Mike Bossy was another that I loved to watch. Though not the pure skater that Lafleur was, Bossy had an amazing shot.  He was a real sharp-shooter. With nine 50+ seasons, four Stanley cup rings and as an inductee in the Hockey Hall of Fame, Mike Bossy is a proven winner.

Wayne Gretzky revolutionized the game of hockey. He has set and reset almost every major record in hockey. Along the way he inspired and captured the imagination of countless fans. I had the pleasure of meeting “the Great One” at the 2003 draft. I was speechless. How do you say thank you for so many amazing memories?

But perhaps the greatest hockey hero I know is my Dad. To my knowledge he never played for a team, but he did play in the backyard with me plenty. My Dad was an accountant which meant late nights during tax season. Yet I remember him coming home well after dark and passing the puck with me despite his exhaustion. It wasn’t his puck handling skills that impressed me, but that he made time for me.

It was also my father who would take me to the Fredericton Express games at the Aitken Centre. The Express were a farm team for the Quebec Nordiques before the team moved to Colorado. While not the NHL, it was still exciting to watch up & coming players who were still honing their skills. Yet it wasn’t the hockey that mattered most, but that he spent time with me and passed along his love for the game.

So that’s my list of hockey heroes. What’s yours?