About Rinks to Links

Meet the Bonvie & MacDonald behind our Rinks to Links Fundraiser.

Dennis Bonvie

Dennis left Nova Scotia in 1991, spending two seasons in the OHL with the Kitchener Rangers and North Bay Centennials, where his spirited play began to attract the attention of scouts in professional hockey. He signed as a free agent with the Edmonton Oilers in 1993, playing two very productive seasons back in his home province with the Cape Breton Oilers – part of his 5-year stint with the Edmonton organization.

Following his time with the Oilers, Dennis spent time with Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Boston, Ottawa and Colorado. His “no-holds-barred” approach to the game endeared him to home team fans in both the NHL and AHL. Always quick to come to the defense of his teammates, Dennis carved himself a professional career based on hard work and a team-first attitude. In his last three seasons, as a member of the Pittsburgh organization, he played with the Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League. As a three-time Calder Cup finalist, Dennis has brought a wealth of experience to the game. He is the only player to have over 4,000 PIM in the same league, breaking the previous record held by Dave “Tiger” Williams.

Dennis has played 963 professional games including 871 AHL games, compiling 85 goals and 193 assists for 278 points, while collecting career 4804 PIM.

He has spent the last 15 years working as a Pro Scout. He spent the 2008-09 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, before joining the Chicago Blackhawks organization from 2009 to 2015 – part of the hockey operations team for their 2010 and 2013 Stanley Cup wins. Dennis is now in his 9th season in the Boston Bruins organization, and his 2nd as their Director of Pro Scouting. Most recently, he was inducted into the American Hockey League Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2024.

Craig MacDonald

Craig played his formative minor hockey years in Antigonish before spending one season at the Nova Midget hockey team. He then moved on to attend prep school in Groton, MA, starring for Lawrence Academy during his grade 11 & 12 years.

Craig also excelled off the ice as a youngster. In 1993 Craig won the Nova Scotia Juvenile Boys Golf Championship at the Truro Golf Club. He then went on to win the Nova Scotia Junior Boys Championships in 1995 at his home course in Antigonish. Craig was a Nova Scotia provincial team member for 4 straight golf seasons (‘92-’95). He also competed in the Canadian Junior Golf Championship 5 times.

Following high school, Craig attended Harvard University for 2 years (‘95-’97), playing both golf & hockey while studying economics. He was a member of Canada’s National Team in ‘97-’98 and was a key piece of the Spengler Cup winning team in 1997. Craig was drafter 88^th overall in the ’96 draft by the Hartford Whalers, ultimately going pro in 1997 after signing a contract with the Carolina Hurricanes.

As a pro, Craig has seen action in the AHL as well as on international ice. As an NHL’er, he played with Carolina from 1998-2003, including the ‘Canes improbable run to the Stanley Cup finals in 2002. He split 2003-04 season with the Florida Panthers & Boston Bruins, 2004-05 with the Lowell Lock Monsters of the AHL, and 2005-06 with the Calgary Flames. In 2006-07 Craig joined the Blackhawks organization, splitting time between Chicago and Norfolk. He laced up for 65 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning in ’07-’08 and earned a nomination for the Bill Masterton Award, given to the NHL player who best exemplifies qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. In 2008-09 he spent time with the Columbus Blue Jackets & Syracuse Crunch. From 2009-13, Craig played in the DEL for both the Dusseldorf Metro Stars and the Adler Mannheim Eagles.

Craig retired in the fall of 2013, having played 969 professional games, compiling 175 goals and 325 assists for 500 points. On June 6, 2015, Craig was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame at Lawrence Academy. Craig currently works as an Investment Advisor for BMO Private Wealth.

Raising funds for boys and girls who cannot afford the high cost of playing minor hockey. Additional beneficiaries of the tournament have included Big Brothers Big Sisters, Antigonish Early Childhood Intervention, Tim Hortons Children’s Foundation and St. Martha’s Hospital Pediatric Department.