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OHL Windsor Spitfires

Tremendous Show of Support for Bob Jones Raises More Than $200,000 for ALS Research

August 15, 2023 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Windsor Spitfires News Release


Over 40 OHL Alumni made the trip to Windsor in support of a good friend and contributor to the Ontario Hockey League for more than 25 years, raising more than $200,000 toward ALS research.

Ottawa Senators assistant coach Bob Jones shared news of his ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) diagnosis back in January, an ailment also referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease. A star-studded lineup hit the ice at the WFCU Centre in Windsor on Saturday afternoon in support of a man whose well-travelled journey through the game has touched the lives of so many.

Originally from Sault Ste. Marie, Jones played parts of five seasons on the Greyhounds blueline from 1985-90 and returned to the club following his professional career, serving as an assistant coach from 1995-99. Since then, Jones enjoyed coaching stints in Brampton, Sudbury and Windsor, taking the reins as Spitfires head coach in 2010-11. He was also the head coach of the Oshawa Generals from 2015-18 and has been in the professional ranks since, recently completing his fourth season with the Ottawa Senators.

Jones was moved to tears when he received a pre-game standing ovation from the 6,149 in attendance on Saturday.

"It's a good feeling," the 53-year-old Jones said pre-game. "We're trying to find a cure, but it's not about me. It's about (the cause)."

NHL captains Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa Senators) and Dylan Larkin (Detroit Red Wings) headlined a list of current NHL players competing, one that also featured more than 40 past and present OHL players and coaches. Team White won the game by a score of 10-6.

According to the Windsor Star, more than $202,000 had been raised before the puck had dropped on Saturday's event with more than $11,000 more added from the 50-50 draw during the game and a post-game auction had the total pushing nearly a quarter million dollars. At the request of Jones, the bulk of that money will go to the Sunnybrook Foundation in Toronto, which supports the research and treatment for the disease.

The Windsor Spitfires organization, led by owners John Savage, Stephen Savage and Brian Schwab, did a great deal of work to make the event possible.

For more on the game and to hear from some of Bob Jones' closest friends, check out Bruce Garrioch's coverage in the Ottawa Sun.

For more information on the event, visit allin4als.ca.

Participating OHL Alumni:

OHL Alumni - Players:

Tyler Angle (Columbus Blue Jackets/Windsor Spitfires)

Brett Brochu (London Knights)

Jack Campbell (Edmonton Oilers/Windsor, Sault Ste. Marie)

Jalen Chatfield (Carolina Hurricanes/Windsor Spitfires)

Easton Cowan (Toronto Maple Leafs/London Knights)

Will Cuylle (New York Rangers/Windsor Spitfires)

Alex DeBrincat (Detroit Red Wings/Erie Otters)

Dylan DeMelo (Winnipeg Jets/Mississauga Steelheads)

Michael DiPietro (Boston Bruins/Windsor, Ottawa)

Robby Fabbri (Detroit Red Wings/Guelph Storm)

Cam Fowler (Anaheim Ducks/Windsor Spitfires)

Andrew Gibson (Detroit Red Wings/Soo Greyhounds)

Taylor Hall (Chicago Blackhawks/Windsor Spitfires)

Adam Henrique (Anaheim Ducks/Windsor Spitfires)

Hayden Hodgson (Los Angeles Kings/Erie, Sarnia, Saginaw)

Wyatt Johnston (Dallas Stars/Windsor Spitfires)

Zack Kassian (Arizona Coyotes/Peterborough, Windsor)

Scott Laughton (Philadelphia Flyers/Oshawa Generals)

Matthew Maggio (New York Islanders/Ottawa, Windsor)

Logan Mailloux (Montreal Canadiens/London Knights)

Trevor Murphy (Novosibirsk Sibir - KHL/Peterborough, Windsor)

Mikhail Sergachev (Tampa Bay Lightning/Windsor Spitfires)

Patrick Sieloff (San Jose Sharks/Windsor Spitfires)

Colton Smith (Windsor Spitfires)

Konnor Smith (Anaheim Ducks/Peterborough Petes)

Logan Stanley (Winnipeg Jets/Windsor, Kitchener)

Jack Studnicka (Vancouver Canucks/Oshawa, Niagara)

Ty Tullio (Edmonton Oilers/Oshawa Generals)

Gabriel Vilardi (Winnipeg Jets/Windsor, Kingston)

OHL Alumni - Coaches:

Bob Jones (Ottawa Senators/Sault Ste. Marie, Brampton, Toronto, Sudbury, Windsor, Oshawa)

Zac Bierk (Ottawa Senators/Peterborough, Oshawa)

Bob Boughner (Detroit Red Wings/Sault Ste. Marie, Windsor)

Peter DeBoer (Dallas Stars/Windsor, Detroit, Plymouth, Kitchener)

Andy Delmore (Windsor Spitfires/North Bay, Sarnia)

Trevor Letowski (Montreal Canadiens/Sarnia, Windsor)

Paul McFarland (Seattle Kraken/Kitchener, Windsor, Oshawa, Kingston)

Steve Ott (St. Louis Blues/Windsor Spitfires)

DJ Smith (Ottawa Senators/Windsor, Oshawa)

Jerrod Smith (Windsor Spitfires/Toronto St. Michael's Majors)

Steve Spott (Dallas Stars/Plymouth, Kitchener)

Rocky Thompson (Philadelphia Flyers/Windsor Spitfires)

Jay Varady (Detroit Red Wings/Kingston Frontenacs)

Mike Weber (St. Louis Blues/Windsor, Barrie)

Check out the Windsor Spitfires Statistics



Ontario Hockey League Stories from August 15, 2023


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