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Bill Butters: 'Have a Blessed Christmas' - Minnesota NHL Alumni Association Skip to content

Bill Butters: ‘Have a Blessed Christmas’

Merry Christmas to all of our alumni and your families!

All of us have shared many of the same experiences through the game of hockey. We have been blessed with the gift of being part of a team, and all of the ups and downs that that brings.

The game has given us much and taught us many life lessons that have transferred in to our lives after hockey. Thank you all for all that you have given to the game and the roles you’ve played in making our game the best!

Now, as alumni, we can still be part of a great team and play a significant role. Please stay active in our NHL Alumni events and please bring ideas and suggestions of how we may improve our team!

My life since my playing days has taken a complete 180-degree turn. I won’t go into the details, but in 1980 there was more than one “Miracle on Ice.” Herbie and the college kids winning the Gold at the Olympics was the biggie, but a few months later at a small hockey camp, a group of 12-year-old boys showed me the love of God, and prayed He would change my life’s direction. It was so much smaller on the big stage compared to that Olympic triumph, but truly big for me and my family.


Since that time, I have been sharing that same love with hockey players. Did you know that God started our gift-giving tradition? We all love Christmas and love to give gifts to our loved ones—some of us even like receiving a gift.

John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son. That whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”


Just think, God loves you! And not just loves you, but SO loves you. When you give your gifts to our loved ones, they reach out and take that gift. It gives them great joy.


God offers His gift of love, peace, hope, joy, and eternal life to all of us! All we have to do is receive His gift!


Have a blessed Christmas!

Your teammate in Christ,
Billy B

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