Life Outside the Box

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By rule, opening-night hockey is completely unpredictable. More often than not, the roster has just been set, so teammates are playing together for the first time.

There will be fluke goals, video screen mishaps, and in the case of the Penguins' opener against Hershey, a situation where Chris Minard scored a hat trick, yet hardly any fans knew enough to toss their hats onto the ice.

There were fireworks after the game, and fireworks during, thanks to the fact that no matter what night of the year it is - Dennis Bonvie is always ready to stand up for his teammates.

Barely two minutes into the opening period, Bonvie skated to center ice, dropped his gloves, and pummeled Hershey's Grant McNeill to a standing ovation. The game was scoreless at the time, but Bonvie's victory gave the Penguins the psychological advantage, and they never looked back.

Bonvie is a fan favorite and a household name in Wilkes-Barre. The Nova Scotian was one of the original 1999 Penguins, and Penguin fans have watched him fight for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and its rivals for eight years. His jerseys often sell for more money than some of the organizations' top prospects during team-store auctions.

He has the heart of a lion and the jaw of a tugboat captain, and it's always pandemonium when ol' Bones takes care of business. But this year, each minute of ice time is special for him and the faithful.

The time has come for Bonvie's Farewell Tour.

After careful consideration, he decided to hang up his skates in Wilkes-Barre, and what a run it has been. He is the American Hockey League's all-time leader in penalty minutes with 4,290 entering this season. If you add those minutes with the rest of his pro career, Bonvie has spent the equivalent of 78.5 games sitting in the penalty box, which is just shy of an entire 80-game season.

And any Penguins fan will tell you - it's been fun to be on the winning side of a lot of those minutes.

A right wing by trade, Bonvie is more proud of the goals he's scored along the way (82 of 'em in the AHL and one for the Boston Bruins). That won't land him any scoring trophies, but it did make for some great post-game zingers (Bonvie often joked of his rare goals, "Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes").

The thing is - lots of players score goals. What Bonvie has accomplished will never be duplicated, and at least around here, will not soon be forgotten.

Long considered hockey's unofficial ambassador to Northeastern Pennsylvania, Bonvie is a family man and a role model off the ice. Some still affectionately refer to Wachovia Arena as "The House That Bonvie Built," and in fact, Bonvie was the man who actually cut the ribbon on the opening of Exit 168.

To see him squeaking around in a pair of fluorescent Crocs after a recent practice, you'd never peg him for the team's tough guy. But he is. And like any rockstar who knows it's time for last call, he's having the time of his life.

Did you ever think people would care this much?
I found a great spot to play here. They've treated me unbelievably here. I still have a year to go, but this is a great spot to stay.

What is it about this area?
When you're playing, and it's a packed house, and people want to see you perform every night, it's a pretty special feeling. Take that away, and this is your home for the better part of the year. For people to be as hospitable as they have been is great. This is my home away from home.

You've had a chance to see the area grow.
I was one of the first ones, and I've seen how this area has taken to us. For this city, this is something that brought a lot of life here. There's no doubt.

What's the worst injury you've had?
When it's all said and done, it'll be my knee. My knee is banged up a little bit. I had little things along the way and a concussion here and there, but for the most part -knock on wood - I've been fortunate.

You still have a mouth full of teeth, too.
(laughs) Knock on wood again.

Will the game change in your absence?
(laughs) It'll be a little quieter, probably. The game changed from when I started. Can it ever come back to the way it used to be? I'm not sure.

There's a stat floating around that you've spent 78.5 games in the box.
That's OK with me. I'd love to have a goal-scoring record, but that's not the case, so I've made the most of what I have. Hmm. You know, it is kind of an astounding number. I never really thought about that. I'm just having fun playing the game. If a fight comes along, then so be it.

Do you still get excited to fight?
I'm not going to say I enjoy fighting. Some guys do. I guess I get excited because I love playing the game and I know I have to do it sometimes. Will I tell people to go fight, or will I go out there just to fight? No, sir.

It was nice to see Ryan Lannon explode the other night.
Yeah. That's just the type of guy he is. He's a great teammate and that was another facet of what he does, and the guys love him for that. He doesn't even think about it - he just knows what's best.

What was your reaction to Hershey scheduling a Bonvie night?
Ah, it's really nice. I spent some quality time there. I still go back there and I have some good friends there.

Much has been said about your mentoring younger players.
I try to help players and people. You want players to leave here at the end of the year not only better players, but better people.

What was your greatest on-ice moment?
I played my first NHL game in Edmonton against the L.A. Kings and Wayne Gretzky. But, I scored for Boston and that first goal was really special. There's no doubt.

How about in Wilkes-Barre?
Coming back to Wilkes-Barre was really special. I didn't know if I could come back, or how people would feel, and that was nice. I anticipate there may probably be a few more moments by the end of this year. In fact, when you ask me that question at the end of the year, I'll probably have another answer for you.

You're 34? What's next? Rest your head a bit?
You can't really take a break. You need to keep pursuing. I'd love to stay here and be part of the game and do positive things. I don't know what will happen with that and opportunities that arise. There's nothing concrete that I can say now. If anybody out there has some ideas, I'm ready to listen.

When Tom Grace left, they played his favorite song by The Who. What will they play for you?
Good question. I'm sure they'll find one. "Wild Thing" or something along the way. That'll be nice. But I have my fingers crossed that my last game will be at the end of June sometime.

Special ticket packages are available for Dennis Bonvie's Farewell Tour by calling 208-PENS or visiting www.wbspenguins.com.

-gpadden@timesshamrock.com