New Westminster is gearing up for the Rogers Hometown Hockey Tour which arrives in the Royal City next month.
The Rogers Hometown Hockey event is coming to New Westminster on Saturday, Feb. 13 and Sunday, Feb 14.
The event, which is taking place in communities across Canada throughout the NHL season, will include free interactive activities all weekend and an outdoor viewing party of an NHL broadcast hosted by Ron MacLean from the Sportsnet mobile studio.
“It’s high profile. You are getting a national TV audience,” said Ron Booth, manager of Queen’s Park and Moody Park facilities. “It is a big deal.”
Rogers will be setting up its attractions on the roadway directly in front of Queen’s Park Arena, so the festivities will be front and centre in the park.
Vehicles will be able to access the park via First Street and McBride Boulevard, but people are encouraged to walk and take transit to the event if possible.
According to a staff report, the average attendance at 25 events held during the 2014/15 season was 8,000 to 10,000, with about 2,500 people attending at any one time.
“We are hopeful for numbers like that. We heard last year in Burnaby they had about 2,000 each day, so 4,000,” Booth said. “I think the difference here in the Lower Mainland is there is so much else going on, where if you are in a smaller town throughout the province, that could be the big event in the town for the year. If we could hit 2,000 each day, that would be a decent number.”
The New Westminster Minor Hockey Association is kicking off the weekend with a hockey pep rally at Queen’s Park Arena featuring a performance by The Hockey Circus Show on Friday, Feb. 12 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
That will be followed by activities from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., including an open skate for minor hockey players and coaches, prize giveaways, a barbecue, a hockey challenge and a bantam game.
“We are really excited. It’s hard to describe how excited we are,” said Robert Nasato, president of the New Westminster Minor Hockey Association.
“For us, the big deal is driving the knowledge of minor hockey in New Westminster, showing people what we can offer the kids who want to participate. For us, it has nothing to do with fundraising; it’s all about involvement and trying to drive registration. We want more kids to play hockey.”
The festivities kick into high gear on Saturday, with a Rogers NHL game centre, Be a Broadcaster booth and other interactive activities taking place in Queen’s Park from noon to 6 p.m. A warming lodge offers a place with lounge areas where residents can relax, play on gaming consoles and enjoy other activities.
Sunday features a Rogers Hometown Hockey live viewing party with Ron MacLean. A VIP meet-and-greet with MacLean that afternoon is by invitation only.
