By Taylor MacPherson

Hockey Day raising $100,000 for Shellbrook rink

Jan 21, 2017 | 3:00 PM

It’s Cameco Hockey Day in Saskatchewan, and 2017 marked a number of firsts for the event.

Jonathan Huntington, Cameco’s director of corporate relations, said the event was expanded this year to include two communities, Shellbrook and Pinehouse, and extended from a one-day event into a week-long celebration of the game.

“This year for the first time ever we’ve got two Cameco Hockey Days in the same weekend,” Huntington told paNOW. “The Shellbrook one is the traditional model of raising big money and a community celebration. In Pinehouse it’s a little bit different. It’s more around skill development for youth.”

“We really wanted to bring Cameco Hockey Day in Saskatchewan to northern Saskatchewan,” he said.

Huntington said this year’s Hockey Day lineup features skill training for young players, plenty of games to take in, an evening cabaret and a special lunch featuring seven-time Stanley Cup champion Bryan Trottier.

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The Town of Shellbrook has set a goal to raise $100,000 for their local rink, Huntington said.

“I think the community of Shellbrook will reach their $100,000 goal, and when they do it’ll be a tip of the hat to this town of Shellbrook for coming together,” Huntington said. “All the credit goes to them.”

The week’s events have been well-received so far, Huntington said.

“The crowds have been great,” he said. “It’s a community of about 1,500 people and they’re expecting almost 1,000 people through this rink in Shellbrook today alone.”

Hockey, Huntington said, is often the heart, soul and central hub of many small communities across the province.

“This really is where young families come together, meet their neighbours and have a chance to bond,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re in the North or the South, it really is the heartbeat of the town.”

In Pinehouse young hockey players can participate in skill development sessions all day today. Tomorrow, fans can attend a community lunch with NHL star Bryan Trottier at 11 a.m.

Shellbrook has two games scheduled this afternoon. In Midget AAA the Prince Albert Mintos take on the Beardy’s Blackhawks at 4, then in SJHL action the Battlefords North Stars play the Notre Dame Hounds at 7:30 before the evening wraps up with a cabaret at the community hall at 9:30. There are five more games scheduled for Sunday including SVHL Bantam and Midget all-star games.

Taylor MacPherson is paNOW’s court reporter and weekend editor. He can be reached at Taylor.MacPherson@jpbg.ca or tweet him @tmacphersonnews.