Story by GREG COATES
Born in Bracebridge, Ontario, Kris King is a former NHL hockey player who played 15 seasons, including three with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 1996. With his wife Paula, Kris splits his time between Toronto and Matthiasville. There has been no such thing as “after hockey” for Kris, who started the Kris King Hockey School summer camp in Gravenhurst in 1987 and now works as senior vice-president of Hockey Operations at the NHL's Toronto office.
As a former Toronto Maple Leaf, what was your favourite on-the-road city?
Vancouver. I love the West Coast, the water and the mountains. I have a buddy with a salmon charter boat that I would visit on my odd day off.
Career highlights?
Getting drafted by Washington in the fourth round in 1984 was fulfilling a childhood dream. Also playing my first game as a Leaf in 1997 at Maple Leaf Gardens was a dream come true.
Pond hockey or road hockey?
Pond hockey. Put me on a pond any day and you will have to drag me off.
Your hockey schools had a huge impact in Muskoka and on the kids who participated. What was the most rewarding part for you?
Bringing a summer hockey program to Gravenhurst for the kids of Muskoka, where I played my minor hockey, was a thrill. Having it run for 30 years was far longer than my dad and I envisioned.
What are your favourite Muskoka pastimes?
Working on my property and fishing with my buddies are high on my list of priorities. A night around the campfire with my wife and kids is the perfect ending to my day.
Fine dining or backyard barbecue?
Both. But many consider my barbecuing as fine dining.
Favourite vacation spot?
After the NHL season is over, Paula and I try to get away together, preferably without the kids. If I had my choice, it would be to my favourite fishing lodge at Aikens Lake in northern Manitoba.
Favourite off-ice hockey memory?
One of my most memorable trips was to Baker Lake in the Northwest Territories. We spent a day with the people, spoke at their hockey banquet, then fished for a week. We caught amazing fish. We saw grizzlies, a herd of caribou, and muskox. Trip of a lifetime.
