WHL GAME IN WHITEHORSE FASTLY APPROACHING
Courtesy Postmedia News — Hotels that are missing drinking glasses from their suites, might just take a look in Don Cherry’s rec room.
The legendary hockey icon has been part of CBC’s Hockey Day in Canada festivities since it was first launched more than a decade ago.
From each of his trips throughout the country, Cherry, who turns 77 on Saturday, has brought home plenty of memories – and some hotel glassware.
“I always get a glass from the hotel room and I put on it like ‘Stephenville, N.L.’, and the date and the time,” Cherry told Postmedia News. “I kind of have them in a row and it kind of brings back memories. It really is something.
“One thing is, you never get blase about them. It’s a new experience every time.”
The 11th edition of Hockey Day in Canada is slated for Feb. 12 in Whitehorse, marking the event’s first trip to the Yukon.
Since it began in 2000 in Toronto, Hockey Day has criss-crossed Canada, with stops in such outposts as Shaunavon, Sask., Winkler, Man., Campbellton, N.B., and Iqaluit.
“The best part is when we get in among the kids,” said Cherry. “It really is something when you go to these small cities like Winkler and that, and see the kids, that’s the fun of it.
“Don’t tell me hockey isn’t the fabric of Canada when you go to these small rinks and see the kids there. To me, seeing the kids get excited is the best part for me.”
Cherry and his Hockey Night in Canada Coach’s Corner sidekick, Ron MacLean, will host festivities in Whitehorse, where 13 and half hours of coverage will be centred in the Canada Games Centre and Takhini Arena.
There will also be CBC crews reporting from other events in Quebec City, Cole Harbour, N.S., Oakville, Ont., Regina and Victoria.
For CBC Sports director of production, Joel Darling, planning for the 2011 event began soon after the lights were turned out on last year’s event in Stratford, Ont.
Representatives from Whitehorse were in Stratford on a fact-finding mission, and then submitted their proposal six weeks later to host the 2011 event.
Despite the long lead-up time, putting together the travelling road show is no easy task. Production trucks will begin moving this weekend from Calgary and Edmonton.
“You are trying to put on an event in a new city every year, a new town, that has not done it before,” said Darling. “A lot of it is things we’ve learned over the years as we’ve moved along. It is a lot of logistics, a lot of scheduling.
“Being in Whitehorse, getting our trucks up there and people up there is part of the issue.”
Celebrations begin early next week with the party cranked up on Thursday with singers Dave Bidini of Rheostatics fame, and Sarah Harmer starring in a night of Canadian music.
The CBC’s Scott Morrison is hosting a banquet on Feb. 11, with appearances by Cherry, MacLean, national news anchor Peter Mansbridge, sports broadcaster Jim Robson and the Stanley Cup.
Former National Hockey League players such as Trevor Linden, Kelly Hrudey, Kevin Weekes, Wendel Clark, Tim Taylor and Mark Napier, along with former women’s star Cassie Campbell-Pascall will be taking part in hockey clinics and making visits to Whitehorse schools.
Mansbridge will host The National on Feb. 10 and 11 from Whitehorse.
Darling said Whitehorse has the makings for a great host for this year’s event.
“The’ve done a really nice job. They have a real love for the game,” said Darling. “As we kept building the guest list, the excitement continued to grow. With us being able to run all these kids through clinics and having kids on the ice, whether its with Cassie Campbell or Wendel Clark, it’s a real interesting thing to watch.
“The smile on the faces of kids is pretty special.”
The Western Hockey League will also hold a neutral site game on Feb. 12 at a sold-out Takhini Arena, with the Vancouver Giants facing the Kamloops Blazers.
“It’s so nice to see these small communities and go around and see the flags they have in the stores and see how excited they are to have Hockey Night in Canada there,” said Cherry. “It really does your heart good. Sometimes you need a little boost like that to keep you going.”
Hockey Day coverage begins at noon on CBC on Feb. 12 to kick off a triple-header of all-Canadian matchups, with the Ottawa Senators visiting the Edmonton Oilers (11 a.m. Pacific time), the Toronto Maple Leafs battling the Montreal Canadiens (4 p.m. PT), and the Calgary Flames heading to Vancouver to face the Canucks (7 p.m. PT).
