You don’t have to be a kid to love hockey and anybody with an interest in the game will love what’s in store for them over the next three days when the Rogers Hometown Hockey tour returns to Prince George.
The free festival, in the CN Centre parking lot, runs Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., and viewing party hosted by longtime Hockey Night in Canada TV personality Ron MacLean and Tara Slone, host of the Sportsnet series Top Of HER Game, follows Monday from 3-7 p.m.
Former NHL goalie Kirk McLean will be on hand to met hockey fans and sign autographs in the Team Rogers Tent at noon and 3:30 p.m. Saturday and at 11:15 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. Sunday.
The Ebbs will be playing live music Saturday starting at 11:45 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. Then on Sunday, July Crowd performs on the main stage at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Author Lisa Bowes will be reading her book, Lucy Tries Hockey, in two story time sessions each day.
Kids are encouraged to bring their own hockey sticks to take part in interactive hockey fun. The on-site activities include:
Rogers Larger than Life Hockey Exhibits – Come together over Canada’s game with safe and interactive augmented reality NHL experiences. Plus, visit the Team Rogers zone to meet your favourite NHL Alumni and sign up for your chance to Get Drafted to receive $150 towards your child’s hockey league fees.
Hyundai Drives Hockey – Stop by the Hyundai display on-site to take part in the Hyundai Stickhandling Challenge. Also, get the opportunity to test drive and tour six Hyundai vehicles and learn more about how Hyundai is made for those who drive hockey. Fans can also enter for their chance to win on-site giveaways and weekend prizes.
Desjardins Ball Hockey Rink – The family-friendly outdoor hockey space will be home ‘ice’ for the weekend as local minor hockey teams hit the tarmac to show off their skills and celebrate the game all Canadians love. On Sunday, teams will compete for the Desjardins Community Cup and the chance to win $3,000 courtesy of Desjardins, to be donated to their favourite non-profit organization or charity.
SN NOW Shooting Accuracy Games – Race against the clock to snipe as many targets as possible before time runs out! Sportsnet invites players of all ages to show off their hockey skills and see how they stack up to NHL stars and alumni.
The Hockey Circus Show – You’re invited to see the only hockey circus show in the world, featuring acrobatics, juggling and one-of-a-kind stunts in three periods of ‘arena’-rocking fun!
Sobeys Grocery Games – Join Sobeys up on stage as the Sobeys Grocery Games are a fun, interactive competition to win Sobeys gift cards. Fans will compete to pull items from a designated grocery list out of their grocery cart, in order to fill their basket in a set amount of time.
Playmobil Kids Zone – Take your chance to face-off against family and friends with the PLAYMOBIL NHL Arena and its lineup of NHL figures. Also, bring your hockey stick to the Playmobil tent to ‘Trick Your Stick’ with unique items and put your own twist on how you play the game. Think you’ve got an extensive hockey vocabulary? Playmobil’s on-stage Word Play game will test out your skills as well!
Festival -goers will have to pre-register online for tickets to gain free admission. Go to www.hometownhockey.com.
MacLean and Slone will be on the stage Monday for a pre-game show starting at 3 p.m. live on Sportsnet before and during the Winnipeg Jets-Montreal Canadiens game broadcast. There are a limited number of tickets available for the viewing party and tickets will be available online.
Prince George is the 23rd of 25 stops on the 2021-22 Rogers Hometown Hockey Tour. The inaugural tour was in 2014 and the city last hosted it in 2015.
On Friday, Prince George Secondary School celebrated winning the Hometown Hockey Fill the Net Challenge after collecting donations to the food back. Hometown Hockey MC Nic Bayley hosted an assembly at the school that featured four local sports personalities. Kyle Anderson (business operations manager for the Prince George Spruce Kings and chief umpire of Prince George Youth Baseball Association), Justin Fillion (former Spruce King defenceman and PGSS Indigenous education teacher), RJay Berra (former Spruce King forward and PGSS teacher) and Pat Bonnett (PGSS football coach and former CFL player) discussed with the students how their interest in sports led to their work careers.
