Maple Leafs legend Wendel Clark greets fans and their pets

The former captain draws a big crowd to East York's PetSmart store

Wendel Clark Signing autograph and meeting Grant the dog who’s a huge fan. Joseph Ranni

Wendel Clark, one of the most popular players ever to pull on a Leafs jersey, recently drew hundreds of fans and their pets to the PetSmart in East York for photos and autographs.

The Feb. 3 event, called Paws and Pucks, gave fans not just the opportunity to get an autograph and a photo with Clark, but also a chance to ask him “for hockey tips and even play a quick game of one-on-one hockey,” said Ozerna, an employee at the store near Eglinton Avenue and Laird Drive.

PetSmart started Paws and Pucks in 2016 after becoming an official partner of the Maple Leafs. The program is designed to give pet owners a rare chance to meet Leafs alumni. The week before Clark visited the Leaside store, Darryl Sittler dropped by PetSmart’s Empress Walk location.

This is the seventh Paws and Pucks event, and it drew a crowd.

“There are 309 people here today who RSVP’d to this event, which means they’re entered into a draw for prizes,” Ozerna said.

Add in those who didn’t RSVP, and “there were around 400 people here.”

About this article

By:
Posted: Feb 6 2018 11:35 am
Edition:
Filed under: News
Topics: