Hockey tour will pay Yukon capital a visit

Rogers Hometown Hockey will make a stop in Whitehorse this season.

By Marcel Vander Wier on September 10, 2015

Rogers Hometown Hockey will make a stop in Whitehorse this season.

The popular hockey tour announced its season-long schedule this morning, and it includes a date in the Yukon capital Jan. 23 and 24.

The tour will kick off Oct. 9 in Kitchener, Ont., and will visit 24 communities across all 10 provinces and one territory.

It’s been nearly five years since Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada took place here, Feb. 12, 2011.

The show will air Sunday, Jan. 24 in sync with a Carolina Hurricanes home game versus the Calgary Flames.

“It’s a really great opportunity,” city councillor John Streicker told the Star today. Streicker was a major proponent of the initiative when Rogers initially indicated interest.

“We’re proud of this place and we have a lot to show the rest of the country. We’re winter happy, hockey crazy and we get to showcase Whitehorse in the winter. All of us know that the Yukon is a great place to be in the winter, but not all of our visitors know that.”

The show highlights each town’s roots in the game, featuring NHL alumni alongside local hockey heroes and entertainment broadcasted from a mobile studio.

“Each weekend is a uniquely Canadian experience that brings us all together,” host Ron MacLean said in a press release from Rogers Sportsnet.

“Our mantra has been simple – take you someplace and tell a story. We’ve discovered at each stop a story that belongs to us as no other story could. It’s of Canadians, with hockey at its core.”

MacLean, who spent several formative years in Whitehorse as a child, will be joined by sideline reporter Tara Slone.

Locally, the hockey tour will feature a slate of free outdoor activities celebrating all things hockey.

Streicker said Rogers is expected to set up an outdoor rink to showcase the minor hockey association. Two sites are being considered: an area near Front and Main Street or the SS Klondike property.

Other programs on the docket are the Sportsnet Be a Broadcaster, the Scotiabank Community Locker Room and the Dodge Stow ’n Go Challenge.

Comments (8)

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Chon Derry on Sep 15, 2015 at 9:29 am

@Yukoner1
Hockey is not out of reach for anyone. At $600/year that is a $100 a month. That is one of the best bangs for your buck in organized amateur sport in town. Kids are on the ice 3 times per week learning not just the game and fitness but leadership and comradery as well as building life long memories and friendships.

There is all kinds of funding available for players that may not have the cash via the Kids Rec Fund as well and many First Nations offering direct support to their families. Gear often gets passed down to friends and family.

I'd be interested in knowing what 'problems' are created by hockey as you noted below. These kids aren't our smashing windows in cars, spray painting building or smoking dope. They are far too busy with hockey and the other facets of life.

Maybe head down to CGC and watch some hockey instead of felling sorry for yourself. You might just like it.

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HockeyMom on Sep 14, 2015 at 2:25 pm

@Yukoner1, What are you even talking about? I am definitely NOT a rich mom, nor my child have extra funding from an outside source. However, we make sacrifices. Given minor hockey IS CRAZY on the wallet, should we shun the sport that our children love? Thankfully WMHA actually will let you pay in increments. To prove the matter further, minor hockey last 6 months, 6! if you go on ratio to other sports duration of a "season" let's tell it like it is, unless you are in softball (which is fabulously provided at no cost during the spring) all sports are at high value. Should we deprive our children from this, or should we do what our parents did before us, and stop being so selfish and make sacrifices to broaden our children's horizon.

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Yukoner1 on Sep 11, 2015 at 9:04 pm

Hockey again!?!? This elitist sport needs to go away. Only rich kids and rich parents are pushing it on our community. It causes nothing but problems. More shame for Whitehorse.

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