The Stanley Cup will arrive at VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 Inner Harbour next January aboard a canoe and escorted by the Esquimalt and Songhees First Nations.
That scene will kick off SportsnetB次元官网网址檚 Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada as the capital city has scored the 13-hour, nationally broadcast event set for Jan. 20, 2024.
Every Canadian NHL team and the Victoria Royals will be in action on the day of the broadcast, which will be supplemented by a four-day-long public festival at Ship Point. Local officials were down at the harbourside location on Tuesday to officially announce Victoria being chosen as the next host city.
B次元官网网址淭oday is an exciting day for our society, our beautiful city of Victoria and hockey fans across the region,B次元官网网址� said John Wilson, chair of the Victoria Hockey Legacy Society.
Hockey Day in Canada will bring vibrancy to downtown, feature activities that will bring all members of the community together and show the entire nation that Victoria is a fantastic place to live, visit, work and play, Wilson said.
The festivities will include food tents, school visits, clinics for kids, an NHL alumni and celebrity game at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre and a night of music. People will also get to play hockey right at Ship Point thanks to a CAN-ICE synthetic ice rink, which will also stick around after next January to be used at future events.
B次元官网网址淲hat an amazing day this is because this is an opportunity for us to use something which I love, which is sports, to be able to bring people to a place like this,B次元官网网址� said Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto. B次元官网网址淲hen we look back on Jan. 20, we will really be proud of what we accomplished B次元官网网址� the people we brought here together.B次元官网网址�
Some speakers shared stories of being impacted by mental health as that will be a big focus of the event, with fundraising benefitting the Courtnall Society for Mental Health.
B次元官网网址淭wo weeks ago I was walking downtown and a gentleman came up to me and said thank you for saving my daughter, so when I get that around town, itB次元官网网址檚 greater than all the things I achieved when I was playing hockey,B次元官网网址� said former NHLer Geoff Courtnall, who founded the society with his brothers Bruce and Russ to destigmatize mental health and support related initiatives.
B次元官网网址淚 lost a sister to mental health and I am just so delighted there will be a focus on that,B次元官网网址� said Paul Nursey, CEO of Destination Greater Victoria.
B次元官网网址淭his is a great opportunity to bring a spotlight onto mental health. Sports have an important role to play in our physical and mental well-being,B次元官网网址� said Lana Popham, minister of tourism, arts, culture and tourism.
Joel Darling, SportsnetB次元官网网址檚 executive producer of NHL special events, said the event will highlight the regionB次元官网网址檚 hockey history B次元官网网址� like the Victoria Cougars winning the Stanley Cup around a century ago or the contribution to the game of the Patrick family, who built the first artificial ice rinks in Canada.
Sophia Pugh, ScotiabankB次元官网网址檚 district vice president on Vancouver Island, said the event is about coming together, celebrating Victoria and building lifelong memories.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 our commitment to make the game more inclusive, accessible and diverse by breaking down cultural, gender and financial barriers in sport,B次元官网网址� she said.
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