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CBC'S Hockey Night in Canada Presents Play On! Announces St. John's Event
Monday, April 20, 2009
In the words of Roy MacGregor, "There is something pure and sweet about road hockey that is worth preserving for generations to come. The game has meant more to young Canadians than any other game in any form." With the first tournament happening in May and additional events across the country throughout the summer, each Play On! event features recreational and competitive street hockey tournament divisions for boys, girls, men and women of all ages and all skill levels.
Organized locally by St. John's-based Blizzard Sports & Entertainment, street hockey players of both genders, all ages, and all skill levels from across the Province are encouraged to register for the Play On! St. John's event to be held on the campus of Memorial University on the weekend of June 27-28th. In addition to St. John's, Play On! events will be held in Halifax, NS; Moncton, NB; Montreal, QC; Ottawa, ON; Oshawa, ON; London, ON; Winnipeg, MB; Saskatoon, SK; Calgary, AB; Edmonton, AB and Vancouver, BC. Approximately sixteen rinks will be operated at all times over a half-kilometre of street during the course of each event, creating a carnival type atmosphere for players, officials and fans alike.
Winners and finalists in Elite divisions from each event during the summer will progress to the 4th Annual National Championship to compete for the Redwood Cup - which was recently displayed at the Hockey Hall of Fame - and recognition as "Canada's Greatest Street Hockey Players". The National Championship event will be held in Toronto in October, with additional details on this event to be announced in the weeks to come. Winners of all divisions at every event will have a chance to win great prizes including championship t-shirts and hats provided by The Hockey News.
CBC's Hockey Night in Canada Presents Play On! will also officially attempt to set a new Guinness World Record in the category of World's Largest Street Hockey Tournament. If the national program had formally applied in 2008, it would have broken the current world record by well over 900 teams.
CBC's Hockey Night in Canada Presents Play On! is also proudly sponsored by The Hockey News, the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), and Sande Hockey.
Canadian street hockey enthusiasts of all ages and skill levels are invited to visit www.playon.ca for more information, rules and regulations, and to register their teams of anywhere between 4 and 7 players.
About CBC's Hockey Night in Canada Presents Play On!
CBC's Hockey Night in Canada Presents Play On! features recreational and competitive street hockey tournament divisions for both genders, all skill levels, and all ages. Since the program's inception in 2003, more than 180,000 Canadians have 'taken back the streets' from coast to coast through participation in one of the twenty-two Play On! events held to date. The events have collectively included participation from many current NHL, AHL, CHL, and CIS players. These highly organized street hockey events have a festival atmosphere and celebrate the game of hockey in a form that expresses the imagination and innocence of youth, helping kids feel like NHL professionals and helping adults feel like kids again. All interested participants can visit www.playon.ca for tournament information, to register a team, and more.
About CBC's Hockey Night in Canada
CBC's Hockey Night in Canada, the presenting sponsor of Play On!, has been a national institution since 1952. Now in its 56th season, CBC's Hockey Night in Canada remains the most popular weekly sports program in Canada, averaging more than a million viewers every Saturday night. Hockey fans can visit cbcsports.ca 24 hours a day, seven days a week for live and on-demand video streaming of all games as well as comprehensive NHL coverage, including weekly columns from CBC'S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA personalities, breaking news, in-depth reports, broadcast schedules and more.
About the Redwood Cup
The Redwood Cup is awarded annually to the CBC's Hockey Night in Canada Presents Play On! national champions, who are recognized as Canada's greatest street hockey players. From 2005-2008 it was featured at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. The Cup stands 49" (124.5cm) tall and is made of solid redwood with plated sterling silver. The five silver sticks that encompass and support the trophy are representative of the number of players on each original Play On! team. They also guard the silver plated maple leaf, symbolic of the importance of hockey to our nation. Heavier than the Stanley Cup, it weighs over 63 lbs (28.6 kg)! The Cup gets its name from Redwood Road in Kingsville, Ontario.
About the National League Hockey Players' Association
In 1999, the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) launched the Goals & Dreams fund as a way for the players to give something back to the game they love. The players' program has donated full sets of hockey equipment to more than 10,000 economically disadvantaged children in 18 countries and assisted with upgrades and the building of hundreds of arenas world-wide. To date, Goals & Dreams has donated more than $17-million to grassroots hockey programs around the world making it the largest program of its kind. www.nhlpa.com
About The Hockey News
The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive hockey coverage since 1947. The Hockey News is published 34 times a year including special issues such as Season Opener, People of Power and Influence, Future Watch, Draft Preview, Season In Review, Pool Book and the Yearbook -the #1 selling hockey annual in North America. The Hockey News is published by Transcontinental Media. www.thehockeynews.com
About SANDE Hockey
Sande Hockey has been manufacturing and distributing professional quality ice hockey gloves, pants, and sticks to players, teams, leagues, and training camps across Canada and the United States for nearly a decade. In addition to many top prospects in pro development leagues, SANDE equipment has been seen in the hands of current NHL Stars Zach Parise, Kyle Turris, Brad May, and NHL legend Bryan Trottier. The crease is never safe. Score more goals with Sande Hockey. We don't sell equipment. WE SELL RESULTS! www.sandehockey.com
For more information:
Scott Hill
National Program Director
CBC's Hockey Night in Canada Presents Play On!
(519) 933-5209
Seamus O'Keefe
Play On! St. John's
Blizzard Sports & Entertainment,
(709) 749-3550
sokeefe@playon.ca
Debbie Hynes
Senior Communications Officer
CBC Newfoundland & Labrador
(709) 576-5150
