Ajay Baines and Chief Shane Gottfriedson Named Team WHL Honourary Captains
CALGARY, AB – The Western Hockey League, in association with the Canadian Hockey League, SUBWAY® and the Kamloops Blazers, today announced that former Kamloops Blazers Captain and Kamloops native Ajay Baines along with Chief of the Tk’emlups Indian Band Shane Gottfriedson will act as the honorary co-captains of Team WHL during the SUBWAY® Super Series game between Team WHL and the Russian National Junior Team being held in Kamloops, British Columbia on Wednesday, November 17th.
Baines, who was born and raised in Kamloops, played for the Kamloops Blazers from 1995-1999 and was the Captain of the team for three full seasons, which is the longest tenure this team has had. In 282 WHL games, Baines had 113 goals, 129 assists and 242 points in four seasons with the hockey club. His WHL career culminated after leading the Blazers to the WHL Championship Series in 1999 where they bowed out to the Calgary Hitmen. He has since been inducted as a Blazers Legend and named to the All-Time Team as one of the franchise’s top 25 players.
“I was proud of playing for my hometown Blazers and in the WHL,” commented Baines. “Playing in the Western Hockey League and living in Kamloops helped me mature and grow into the person I am. I am very grateful to be part of the SUBWAY® Super Series game in Kamloops.”
Baines was also diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a teenager, but it didn’t prevent him from having an impressive professional career. The undersized and undrafted Baines went on to play 10 professional seasons, including nine in the AHL. The popular local product was the team Captain in Norfolk, Hamilton and Iowa and was awarded the Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award as the AHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of sportsmanship, determination and dedication to hockey in 2008-09. The highlight of his career was scoring the game winning goal for the Hamilton Bulldogs to win the Calder Cup in 2007.
Chief Shane Gottfriedson is the 12th Chief of the Tk’emlups Indian Band in Kamloops. He is a well respected community leader and has created many sustainable opportunities for First Nations people. He currently serves on several regional, provincial and federal committees including the BC Chiefs Health Committee as an advocate for the Aboriginal child welfare reform.
“This is a great honour that has been bestowed to me. I feel very fortunate to be part of such a prestigious event in a great city like Kamloops. I am excited to meet some of the same players we will all be cheering for at the upcoming World Junior Championships in Buffalo,” Gottfriedson said.
Shane strives to promote positive youth development through sports. He has served on the 1993 Canada Summer Games Board of Directors, the 2006 BC Summer Games Board of Directors, the 2011 Western Canadian Games Board and coached the Tk’emlups Coyotes, a local youth hockey team, to the Western Canada Native Hockey Championships.
Kamloops Blazers’ Vice-President and General Manager Craig Bonner commented on the selection of Baines and Gottfriedson.
“I had the pleasure of coaching Ajay, he was a great leader and a character kid that I am proud to now call a friend. Ajay was one of the most popular Blazers of all-time and was one of my favorite players that I coached.”
“Shane is a long time Kamloops resident, a hockey fan, and supporter of our team. He has always been willing to step up and promote and support our program. He has done a great job with the Kamloops Indian Band and his involvement in the community is endless.”
The 2010 SUBWAY® Super Series is currently underway and marks the eighth straight year that teams of CHL All-Stars have competed against Team Russia in preparation for the World Junior Hockey Championships. The SUBWAY® Super Series is an integral part of the evaluation process prior to Team Canada’s final selection camp in December. This season, Canada will be competing for their 13th straight medal at the 2011 tournament in Buffalo, NY.
Team WHL will face Team Russia in games five and six of the series played Wednesday, November 17 in Kamloops, BC, and on Thursday, November 18 in Prince George, BC. The first two games of the series were hosted by the QMJHL with the OHL hosting games three and four.
Game tickets are available at the Kamloops Blazers Box Office (250-828-3339) and the Prince George CN Centre Ticketmaster Office (250-564-5585) or visit www.ticketmaster.ca.
The 2010 SUBWAY® Super Series is supported by CHL associate sponsors, Bank of Montreal and CCM. All games will be broadcast nationally on Rogers Sportsnet with the two QMJHL games shown on RDS.
For more information about the event and tickets please visit www.subwaysuperseries.com
2010 SUBWAY® Super Series Schedule of Games:
Game 1 – Monday November 8 at Saint John, NB: Russia 5 – Team QMJHL 4
Game 2 – Wednesday November 10 at Drummondville, QC Russia 4 – Team QMJHL 3
Game 3 – Thursday November 11 at London, ON Team OHL 4 – Russia 0
Game 4 – Monday November 15 at Sudbury, ON
Game 5 – Wednesday November 17 at Kamloops, BC
Game 6 – Thursday November 18 at Prince George, BC
About SUBWAY®
The SUBWAY® restaurant chain is the world’s largest submarine sandwich franchise, with more than 31,000 restaurants in 90 countries and over 2,400 restaurants in Canada. In 2002, the SUBWAY® chain surpassed McDonald’s in the number of restaurants open in the United States and Canada. Headquartered in Milford, Conn., the SUBWAY® restaurant chain was cofounded by Fred DeLuca and Dr. Peter Buck in 1965. For more information about the SUBWAY® restaurant chain, visit www.subway.ca.