Everybody starts somewhere.
The omnibus national travelling circus Rogers Hometown Hockey, celebrating the Canadian roots of the sport, touches down at Ship Point in the Inner Harbour today and Sunday. A wide-ranging festival of events runs today from noon to 6 p.m. It leads to the culmination of the weekend, which is the Rogers Sportsnet nationally televised, Ron MacLean-hosted pre-game show 3:30 p.m. Sunday from Ship Point, ahead of the large-screen outdoor viewing party for the Canucks-Sharks NHL game.
The weekend will include a major nod to other sports that define Victoria with Olympic gold-medallists, triathlete Simon Whitfield and rower Adam Kreek to be featured on the broadcast. But the Island鈥檚 hockey history, stretching from Lester Patrick to Jamie Benn, certainly won鈥檛 be forgotten. Stanley Cup champion Geoff Courtnall of Victoria will be a guest alongside Whitfield and Kreek.
鈥淗ockey is a big part of Canadian life and it鈥檚 taking over the Inner Harbour,鈥� said Courtnall, who played 17 seasons in the NHL.
One of the legendary Island hockey stories involves the 1983 WHL trade, in which the Seattle Breakers sent Tom Martin to his hometown Victoria Cougars, in exchange for a used bus. Former NHLers Martin, Courtnall and Matt Pettinger were at Courtnall鈥檚 elementary school alma mater, Willows in Oak Bay, on Friday to film a segment for Sunday鈥檚 Hometown Hockey broadcast.
鈥淭he students were so excited,鈥� said Courtnall.
鈥淚 told them I played floor hockey in this same Willows School gym. And that I shot literally thousands of pucks off the outside walls of the school with my stick, and that鈥檚 why I was able to score my [367 regular-season] goals in the NHL.鈥�
Former NHLers Courtnall, Pettinger, Martin, Brendan Morrison, Dave Babych, along with Whitfield and Kreek, will take part in the celebrity shinny game and skills competition from 12:30 to 3 p.m. Sunday at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
Benn, meanwhile, was featured on the national Hometown Hockey Twitter Takeover on Friday. The defending NHL scoring champion from Central Saanich tweeted that his favourite player growing up was Joe Sakic: 鈥淢y first game I ever watched was between the Canucks and Avalanche and I always wanted to be [Sakic] after that.鈥� Added Benn: 鈥淗ave fun, work hard, and dreams really do come true.鈥� Benn tweeted his career highlights are: 鈥淲orld junior gold medal, Olympic gold medal, making it to the NHL and being named captain of the Dallas Stars.鈥�
Victoria鈥檚 Adam Cracknell of the Canucks will be playing Sunday in the televised Hometown Hockey game. Another Island NHLer, Tyson Barrie of the Colorado Avalanche, will take part in the outdoor game today at Coors Field against the Red Wings.
鈥淰ictoria was a great place to grow up. Because of the weather, so many Olympians train there for the Summer Games, and I also grew up playing box lacrosse outdoors. It is a very active community,鈥� said Barrie, reflecting on his hometown roots.
鈥淎nd I鈥檝e also noticed hockey has really taken off on the Island, too, in the last 10-20 years,鈥� he added, by phone from Denver.
The blue-liner Barrie was coached by his dad and former NHLer and minor-pro Len Barrie in the Juan de Fuca Minor Association, winning provincial titles.
鈥淲e had very competitive teams at Juan de Fuca and I was fortunate to have my dad coach me,鈥� said Tyson Barrie.
鈥淚t was awesome for me and helpful to the whole team because of his experience. He paved the way for me. I followed in his footsteps.鈥�
The younger Barrie, however, couldn鈥檛 resist some levity: 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 a better player than my dad was, and I let him know it.鈥�
About the outdoor game, Barrie noted: 鈥淚t means something in the standings [compared to other outdoor games played earlier in the season on New Year鈥檚 Day]. We鈥檙e in a playoff push and there鈥檚 a lot of excitement in Denver. It鈥檚 not just a gimmicky game. It鈥檚 an important game, so there鈥檚 something extra to it.鈥�
There鈥檚 a lot of excitement, also, back in Barrie鈥檚 hometown this weekend.
As part of the festivities, Benn鈥檚 Hometown Hockey Twitter question and answer Friday proved popular.
鈥淛amie is a special player. He is the best power-forward in the game today and one of the best players in the game, period,鈥� said Barrie, who played with Benn in the WHL on the Kelowna Rockets.
For a city with no frozen outdoor ponds, lakes or rivers 鈥� and perhaps better known for rowers and triathletes such as Whitfield and Kreek 鈥� it is remarkable that there will be no shortage of hometown hockey stories bandied around this weekend.
