Prince Albert could be home to an NHL outdoor classic game. Submitted photo, roadtrips.com

By paNOW Staff

April 1 Hockey Update

UPDATE: Hope you enjoyed our April Fool’s Day Story

Apr 1, 2019 | 7:00 AM

A huge announcement is in the works for Prince Albert. The National Hockey League has floated the idea of having Prince Albert host an outdoor NHL game at some point next season.

Play-by-play man Trevor Redden, voice of the Prince Albert Raiders, has it on good authority from several, top secret insider sources that this rumour has long legs. According to the sources, several locations have been investigated like the North Saskatchewan River, but also the nearby lakes as well in Waskesiu, Christopher Lake and Emma Lake for possible venues.

“Really, if you’re talking about a vintage, old school, outdoor hockey game, the lakes and rivers of Northern Saskatchewan would be unbelievable,” Redden said.

It’s true the participating teams haven’t been set in stone yet, but Redden is hearing three names right now.

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“Likely one team is the Edmonton Oilers for proximity, and also Leon Draisaitl of course is a Raider legend. And Connor McDavid, how cool would that be?” Redden said. “The Winnipeg Jets, another team with proximity and Josh Morrissey, another Raider connection—he’s an alum. The third team that’s kind of an outside chance is the Anaheim Ducks. Josh Manson is a Prince Albert native.”

For some crazy and unknown reason, Jeff D’Andrea, sports editor for paNOW, was somehow able to get in contact with the NHL hierarchy. An official close to the discussions, but who could not be named, gave some insight into how the huge outdoor spectacle came about.

“Obviously, the Prince Albert Raiders have really put their city on the hockey map, and we’ve noticed,” the official said via email early morning of Monday, April 1. “We wanted to give back to the community in some way, in part to acknowledge the extraordinary strides the Raiders have made and how the wider community has embraced their incredible season so far.”

Once community service director for the city Jody Boulet got word of what could be, he said he wasn’t surprised Prince Albert was being considered for a Winter Classic affair.

Land-marking Prince Albert as a possible destination for the outdoor classic is an obvious choice, according to Boulet.

“Sports in the tourism industry is I think one of the leading reasons why people choose Prince Albert as a destination,” Boulet said. “And these types of games like an NHL game or the world fastball championships, like we had last July, these opportunities will continue to bring Prince Albert to the national stage.”

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panews@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @princealbertnow