Fans asked to Drop the Mitts and Sock it to ‘Em

For two decades the Prince George Spruce Kings have been keeping downtown Prince George warm. The fact they currently have one of the hottest teams in the B.C. Hockey League will only help perpetuate that cause. An expected full house tonight at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena for their game against the Alberni Valley Bulldogs could even raise the temperature of the downtown core. Kings’ fans will gather to watch their team and also test their throwing arms in the annual Drop the Mitts and Sock it to ‘Em promotion. People coming to the rink tonight are being encouraged to bring new clothing items (socks, underwear, mitts, tuques, jackets and blankets) as well as gift certificates, all wrapped in a plastic bag to help the St. Vincent de Paul Society respond to the growing needs of the community. When the Spruce Kings score their first goal of the game, that will be the cue to toss those donations onto the ice. “We’re trying to keep Prince George warm this winter, partnering with St. Vincent de Paul – they’re so key in our downtown care and we’re looking to help them in a big way,” said Spruce Kings senior marketing manager Kyle Anderson. “It’s cool for us to be a little bit different from other junior teams – there are a lot of teddy bear tosses going around and this is just another need. Being a downtown team playing out of a downtown building, to be able to help the organizations that are in need in the downtown area is just so important for us.” The Kings have rounded up volunteers from the Prince George Minor Hockey Association to gather up the donations that land on the ice. On Saturday the Kings host the Wenatchee Wild in their only regular-season visit to P.G. During the first intermission, Duchess Park secondary school student Braden Flett will have his shoulder-length hair shaved off to raise funds for the Canadian Cancer Society.

— Brad. Brad’s been working hard so it was real nice to see him come in and get that first shutout. I think it got the team excited to see that.

— see KINGS, page 10