Hockey Day in Canada announces its Kamloops lineup

KAMLOOPS – The nation’s favorite past time is coming to town and with it brings four days of events and festivities centred on all things hockey.

The 16th annual Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada will be in Kamloops from Feb. 3 to Feb. 6, 2016. The last time the national event was held in B.C. was Nelson in 2007.

Festivities for the event were announced today, Dec. 3, and will include everything from luncheons and pancake breakfasts, to organized street hockey and celebrity games featuring past Kamloops Blazers.

Coun. Pat Wallace was on hand and encouraged all Kamloopsians to participate in the four day community celebration.

Event organizer Sean Smith said the theme of this year’s hockey day is ‘teamwork’ and he's excited for the nation to see what Kamloops is capable of.

“This is one of the most publicized and promoted events Kamloops will ever see,” he says.

One of the highlights of Hockey Day in Canada is on Feb. 6 with CBC sportscaster Ron MacLean doing an all-day live broadcast from the Sandman Centre, but Smith says there are three full days scheduled with events.

The week begins Wednesday, Feb. 3, with opening ceremonies at Sun Peaks, complete with the Stanley Cup.

Along with school visits and hockey clinics, there will be a celebrity luncheon on Feb. 4 and a free breakfast with the Stanley Cup on Feb. 5, both at the Tournament Capital Centre.

Smith says tickets for the luncheon will likely be $50 and will feature MacLean and Don Cherry, along with keynote speaker Vancouver Canucks president Trevor Linden. Proceeds go towards local children’s charities.

There will also be two special hockey games including an all celebrity WHL Pro Am Alumni Game on Feb. 5 and a WHL game featuring the Blazers and the Edmonton Oil Kings on Feb. 6. Both games will take place at the Sandman Centre. The alumni game is priced at $10 for adults and $5 for kids and will feature former Blazers Mark Recchi and Darcy Tucker.

In a video presentation during today's announcement, Tucker recalled his fond memories of playing in Kamloops.

“We had sell outs every single time I was there,” he says. “You don’t get that in every junior market but we had that there in Kamloops.”

Next year is a big one for hockey in Kamloops. Along with Hockey Day in Canada, the Blazers will celebrate their 50th anniversary and the city will host the 2016 Women's World Hockey Championships.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Dana Reynolds at dreynolds@infonews.ca or call 250-819-6089. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.