Big plans ahead for Hockey Day in Canada

Swift Current will be holding a four day long celebration of Canada’s favourite winter sport when the 2019 Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada comes to the community on February 6 to 9.

The 19th annual event will feature Swift Current as the host community of the national celebration of the game of hockey during the day when all seven Canadian teams will be in action during four games broadcast on Sportsnet and CBC.

However, the multi day event in Swift Current will encompass much more than just a day of hockey watching on television.

“Because Hometown Hockey was here recently, a lot of people kind of relate this to Hometown Hockey. This is considerably larger in scope,” explained Robin Wall, Chair of the Local Organizing Committee.

Joel Darling, Executive Producer of NHL Special Events for Sportsnet, added the event has grown in scale over the past almost two decades.

“When we first started this years ago it was really a one day event, and it’s grown into a four day event and sometimes its been a five day event,” Darling said.

“When we first address a community and talk about the event, I sometimes am a little nervous because they don’t necessarily know what’s coming. It’s a four day celebration that has a lot of parts to it, a lot of volunteers, a lot of help from the City, a lot of help from local Minor Hockey. It really is a great celebration…it is a huge event.”

Darling said the production side of the event will be challenged by having to broadcast from two different locations, Riverdene Park which is not a television venue, as well as from the Innovation Credit Union iplex. He estimated that approximately 35 people will be involved with the various tasks to help them broadcast events during the day in Swift Current alone.

Sportsnet has been thinking about Swift Current as a host site for over a year now because of the rich hockey history of the community and the impact Southwest hockey personalities have had. The Broncos 30th anniversary of their 1989 Memorial Cup win will be among the topics highlighted to a national broadcast audience.

SCOTT ANDERSON/SOUTHWEST BOOSTER For the second year in a row Terri Clark was one of the featured performers at the CP Holiday Train stop in Swift Current. The rare night time train stop on December 6 featured musical performances by Clark, Sierra Noble and Kelly Prescott. A large crowd in attendance donated over 1,000 pounds of food for the Salvation Army Food Bank and $1,447 was raised in support of the Salvation Army Christmas Appeal.