Muscular Dystrophy research was the big winner Sunday afternoon at the Rotary Complex as the Stratford firefighters played the 104.7 Heart FM & Friends team in a charity hockey game.

Proceeds raised from the game will go towards fighting the dehabilitating disease. Muscular Dystrophy (MD) is a group of muscle diseases that weaken the musculoskeletal system and hamper locomotion.

Some of the recruits who played for the Heart FM team included: former Montreal Canadiens’ forward Gilbert Dionne, who was on a Stanley Cup winner with the Habs, former Stratford Culliton Chad Paton, and goalie Mike Torchia, who was in the Dallas Stars organization.

Wayne Maxner, who once coached Detroit Red Wings in the early 1980s as well as the OHL’s London Knights and Windsor Spitfires, was behind the Heart FM bench.

The firefighters’ squad was made up of 14 skaters.

On-ice officials were Stratford mayor Dan Mathieson and former NHL linesman Ray ‘Scampy’ Scapinello, who has the longest on-ice career among officials of anyone in the history of the NHL.

Scapinello spent 33 years in the NHL, starting in 1971, and officiated in 2,500 regular-season games and 426 playoff games. The Hall of Famer, inducted in 2008, worked in the Stanley Cup final 20 years, and retired following the 2004 playoffs.

Scapinello says he’s proud that he never missed a game due to injury or illness. He also worked the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, including the championship game.

“It was a great ride,” Scapinello told the Gazette before Sunday’s game.

Stratford’s Jake Stern did a nice job of singing the national anthem.

Dropping the ceremonial first puck at centre ice was pop singer Justin Bieber’s uncle Chris Mallette, a Stratford native who now lives in Kitchener.