Article by Don Schwartz, WG Authentic / Fantasy Camp
Once a year during the Wayne Gretzky Fantasy Camp these two numbers on the opposite end of the sweater spectrum will share a common place.
Both numbers have been retired for all future Fantasy Camps, only to be worn on the backs of those who made them famous. ‘99’ obviously belongs to the camp’s host, but participants can no longer request to wear No. 1 either. That number now belongs to long-time camper Don Ducasse, who had his jersey retired by Wayne at the conclusion of Fantasy Camp VII.
While Ducasse’s play between the pipes helped propel his team to this past camp’s Gretzky Cup championship, the goaltender’s special recognition came from his commitment to the camp and his passion for everything that makes hockey great.
“I thought it was really sweet,” Ducasse said of his jersey retirement. “You really can’t believe that it’s real. I really can’t believe it until I hear of someone else requesting to wear No. 1 and being told ‘Sorry, you can’t have that.’ Then I’ll think, ‘Wow, this is for real.’ But it’s a nice gesture and a great honor.”
Ducasse is one of a handful of participants who have attended each of the seven Wayne Gretzky Fantasy Camps. What began as an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a break from his business became a life-changing event for both himself and his wife. While the recognition at this year’s camp was appreciated, it’s been the connections made throughout the years – both with campers and coaches – that have been the real prize for Ducasse.
“At the second camp, my wife and Eddie Mio’s fiancée and her child and my kid clicked, so we ended up going to Eddie’s house for the weekend and he ended up putting us on the South Beach Diet,” Ducasse said. “My wife’s now a marathon runner. Everybody’s always amazed. They say we’ve changed the most from the camps because at that first camp we were both heavier than what we are today. But that camp kind of changed our lives and we became better and more successful. Our entire lives got uplifted by going to that camp.”
A bit of fame has even come Ducasse’s way courtesy of the Wayne Gretzky Fantasy Camp. The first ever camp was filmed by the Fine Living Network for a series on fantasy camps. Randomly selected by the series producers to be a featured camper, the opportunity gave Ducasse what he thought was his 15 minutes of fame; fame that has now stretched into hours, courtesy of the series’ continuing airing on cable TV and select Air Canada flights. The second camp featured a commercial filmed by Ford, which once again included Ducasse, a dentist from the Toronto area.
“I still get patients who call me up and say, ‘Gee-whiz Don, I was falling asleep on the redeye from Vancouver and I heard your voice and started watching the TV show,’” he said. “The second year I go and film a commercial with Wayne and I figure ‘Gee, I can hardly wait to go the next year to see what’s going to happen.’”
While each of the first six camps gave Ducasse plenty of lifetime memories, one moment that continued to escape him was victory. Each camp saw another team raising the Gretzky Cup in celebration – or simply holding bragging rights in those early years. He even went winless during his first camp.
Not that it ever bothered Ducasse.
“If anything, I never thought about winning,” he said. “I thought ‘I wonder what’s going to happen to me this year’ because every year something neat would happen to me. So I never really thought about winning.”
Of course, once the moment happened, the winning goaltender reflected upon some words spoken by his fellow retired jersey honoree.
“I thought about something I had read about Wayne,” Ducasse said. “A reporter had asked Wayne ‘What was it like when you won your first Stanley Cup?’ and he said ‘Well, I had won the Stanley Cup so many times before it just felt normal. Every time you played road hockey in the driveway as kids or you’re playing shinny, it was always Game 7 of the Stanley Cup and you scored and you won. You imagine it so many times that when you finally win you feel ‘Well, I’ve been there and done that.’
“Now, I never imagined winning the Gretzky Cup, but when I did win I kind of thought, ‘I guess Wayne was right,’ Ducasse added. “That you’ve gone through it in your mind so many times that you think ‘oh, that’s nice.’”
Seven years of Fantasy Camps have treated Ducasse well: memories, friendships, life-altering changes, television fame and now a championship. Is there an eighth time in his future?
“Every year, I tell Wayne, ‘Don’t do it again, I can’t afford it, quit doing it,’” Ducasse joked. “But it never really ends. You end up developing friends and contacts for life. You do see the guys occasionally. Guys do e-mail occasionally. If you embrace it and let it embrace you, it’ll change your life and give you friends for life.”
Article by Don Schwartz, WG Authentic / Fantasy Camp
