When Chris Nilan was playing for the Canadiens during the 1980s — including a Stanley Cup championship in 1986 — he organized an annual charity golf tournament.
It was called the Chris Nilan Golf Classic and it benefitted the Montreal Children’s Hospital, which has always had a special place in Nilan’s heart and it’s a place he still visits. Nilan hosted the tournament for five consecutive years when he was playing for the Canadiens and held the last one the summer after he was traded to the New York Rangers in 1988.
Now, Nilan has a new charity golf tournament with the first annual Chris Nilan Golf Classic Powered by the Liam Foundation held Monday at the Summerlea Golf and Country Club in Vaudreuil-Dorion.
The Liam Foundation was founded in 2019 by Kevin Reason, whose 10-year-old son Liam suffers from PolG disorder — a rare, debilitating mitochondrial disease that affects muscle cells in the body, deteriorating movement and strength over time. For Liam, the mitochondrial disorder exists in his central nervous system, resulting in developmental delays (autism), epilepsy and ataxia (bad balance and coordination).
There is no cure for mitochondrial disease, but The Liam Foundation is funding a medication trial at the Montreal Children’s Hospital to help Liam and other children suffering from it. Children from around the world, including the United States, Brazil, Australia and India, have been brought to Montreal through the Liam Foundation and the hope is that the medication will boost mitochondria levels in the body’s cells and improve abilities to function. The Liam Foundation currently has 32 children on the trial medication, which was developed by a drug company in Spain.
Reason met Nilan five years ago at a Canadiens alumni event at the Bell Centre when they were seated at the same table. Reason told Nilan about Liam’s struggles, which tugged at the former player’s heart. A friendship developed and Nilan became involved in the Liam Foundation. Last summer, Nilan and some friends in his home town of Boston helped organize Liam’s Journey for a Cure bike ride from Boston to Montreal, which raised $120,000.
Tuesday’s golf tournament, which sold out in two days with 36 foursomes, raised $140,000. Former Canadiens that Nilan and his wife, Jaime, reached out to who took part included Larry Robinson, Serge Savard, Steve Shutt, Guy Carbonneau, Chris Chelios, Stéphane Richer, Rick Green, Patrice Brisebois, Petr Svoboda, Murray Wilson, Mathieu Dandenault, Steve Bégin, Lucien DeBlois, Mike Lalor, Karl Dykhuis, P.J. Stock and Terry Ryan. Current Canadien Arber Xhekaj and team owner Geoff Molson also took part.
“Chelly hates golf, but he showed up,” Nilan said about Chelios.
The golf tournament included a dinner, along with an auction. A framed and autographed Nilan Canadiens sweater went for $21,000 after one of the two bidders decided to let the other bidder get it while he wrote a cheque for $20,000 (what his final bid was) to the Liam Foundation.
“So the jersey went for $41,000!” Nilan said.
An old red Forum seat, which was autographed by Nilan and had his picture and number on it, went for $25,000. Geoff Molson also donated six seats behind the Canadiens bench for a game next season to the auction.
The Liam Foundation plans to grow the golf tournament next year and has already booked all 36 holes at Summerlea instead of just 18 this year.
“This is near and dear to my heart for Liam,” Nilan said Tuesday. “I love little Liam. He’s such a good little man. Handsome little kid … he has this little twinkle in his eye. But he really has a tough time to communicate and a tough time to walk.
“Since Liam has been on that medication he’s become more mobile,” Nilan added. “He can get up and walk — although wobbly. He couldn’t walk at all before. He also can say a couple of words here and there.”
When members of the Canadiens alumni posed for a photo before the golf tournament, they wanted Liam to be in it so he was front and centre, sitting on Nilan’s knee.
“You see his big smile … it was tears all around for anyone watching that,” Liam’s father said Tuesday about the photo. “It was so emotional.
“Liam is doing really well,” the father added. “The hope for this medication was to slow down the progression and it seems like that is what it’s doing. He’s walking again, very aware of his surroundings and he’s a lot stronger.”
Michel Lacroix, the Canadiens’ public-address announcer at the Bell Centre, also took part in the tournament and helped make a dream of Liam’s father come true when he announced the little boy as the first star of the tournament before the dinner.
“One of my dreams certain nights when I go to sleep is to have Michel Lacroix announce Liam as ‘la première étoile’ and he did it yesterday,” Reason said. “Liam was the first star and you should have seen his face. He got a standing ovation … I was crying, Michel Lacroix was crying. It was very emotional. But that little dream that I had, it happened.”