Game plan for tickets to Hockeyville events

The majority of the seats for the Kraft Hockeyville NHL exhibition game at Summerside’s Credit Union Place on Sept. 25 will be filled with fans from O’Leary and area.

The O’Leary Hockeyville Committee announced its longawaited ticket distribution plan Monday, four weeks to the day before the Ottawa Senators and New Jersey Devils play their exhibition game at the CUP.

The game is part of the prize O’Leary won on April 1 when, on national television, the community was declared the winner of the 2017 Kraft Hockeyville competition. The prize also included $100,000 for arena upgrades.

“We have put a lot of thought into a fair distribution of the 3,100 free tickets that our committee has been given access to,” said Bill MacKendrick of the so-called Fab Five, the O’Leary Hockeyville committee members.

“I think the public will be happy with our plans.”

A block of tickets has been set aside for O’Leary Minor Hockey players, including minor hockey players from O’Leary playing on regional teams, O’Leary Figure Skating Club members and a number of community groups and businesses that contributed to O’Leary’s Hockeyville efforts.

As well, one minor hockey team from every minor hockey association in the province will win an opportunity to attend the game through a special draw conducted with help from Hockey P.E.I.

All remaining tickets will be awarded through public lotteries, and interested persons must register in person to be entered.

There will be a residents’ draw, a Western P.E.I. draw and a Supporters Draw.

The first opportunity to register is this Wednesday, 6:30-9:30 p.m., at the O’Leary Community Sports Centre.

“It is a huge day for us to finally release this plan,” said committee member Jo-anne Wallace. “Now people can see what they’re going to embark on to get their tickets.”

The game day practice and skates by the Devils and Senators are also ticketed events. The organizing committee is working with the Public Schools Branch to have students from Western Area schools attend the practices.

Wallace acknowledges no plan would give every interested person admission to the game.

“It’s so good to see that so many are going to get in, but we also know there are going to be a lot of people disappointed, and we just can’t do anything more than that, other than to make it fair. And we know people across this province helped significantly. They get an opportunity for a ticket.”

Besides the game and the ticket distribution plan, the Hockeyville committee has been busy planning a Hockeyville festival to be held in O’Leary, Sept. 2224.