SPORTS FLASHBACK 1980: Bobby Orr and friends raise $70,000 for Heindl

When most people think about professional athletes, they think only of the glamorous side of a career in sports. They think only of the vast sums of money to be made. And they envy the athlete the adoration of the fans, the popularity he has with his peers and the security of his profession.

There is another side to professional athletics and some pay a tremendous price for their brief time in the spotlight.

When the need arises, the professional athlete is quick to donate his time and money to a worthwhile cause. On April 25, 1980, their cause was to help for one of their own.

Bill Heindl grew up in the Fort Rouge area of Winnipeg. He attended Churchill High School, where he was a top student and excelled in athletics.

His participation in hockey led to a professional career spanning twelve years and many hockey clubs, including New York and Minnesota in the National Hockey League and Cleveland in the World Hockey Association.

Heindl also played two years on Canada’s National Team, when it was based in Winnipeg, during the late 1960’s.

In 1978, Bill Heindl, at age 32, retired from professional hockey and came back to Winnipeg to pursue a working career outside of hockey. He also took on coaching duties with the Steinbach Huskies of the Central Amateur Senior Hockey League.

In his first season as a coach, Heindl’s Huskies made it all the way to Allan Cup final. Cup.

But the transition from professional sports to private life proved very difficult for Heindl. Some unsuccessful career ventures, coupled with a variety of personal problems ultimately led to an attempted suicide, which left him a paraplegic.

Although confined to a wheelchair, Bill was making significant headway in rebounding from this adversity. It was obvious that he would require assistance both financially and otherwise in continuing with this progress, and when Orr heard of Heindl’s difficulties he decided to do something to help.

On Friday, April 25, 1980, all the proceeds of a benefit hockey game at the Winnipeg Arena went into the Bill Heindl Trust Fund.

This game was first suggested by Bobby Orr, who played junior hockey with Heindl in Oshawa, as a means for hockey players to rally together to help a fellow player.

Orr was the first player to confirm that he would come to Winnipeg at his own expense to play in a benefit game. A large number of active and former NHL players, as well as alumni of Canada’s National Team, were more than ready to follow his example.

Forty-eight players came from across the continent and over the Atlantic Ocean to help one of their own who was in trouble. Over 15,000 fans were on hand to show their appreciation. At the end of the day, over $70,000 was raised for the Bill Heindl Trust Fund.

The sell-out crowd certainly got their money’s worth. It didn’t matter that the players only played at half-speed or slower. Winnipeg fans understood today’s stars couldn’t afford an injury and some of yesterday’s stars were going as fast as their tired legs would carry them.

Nobody was even disappointed that former Montreal Canadiens’ netminder Ken Dryden did not patrol the pipes for the collection of Canada National Team players.

Dryden dressed for the game, albeit as a forward, and played his first hockey game since retiring.

“When I retired from the Canadiens, I said I would never play hockey again. I don’t ever intend to put on the pads again,” Dryden said.

But, Dryden playing as a forward was what this night was all about.