The Vancouver Canucks Alumni team is coming to Nanaimo on Saturday, Mar. 9 to play a charity game against Nanaimo Clippers alumni in a fundraising effort for local healthcare organizations.
Organized by the Nurses 4Kids Nanaimo Society, the Hockey for Life event benefits the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation (NDHF), and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).
The Canucks Alumni team features former NHL players living in the lower mainland, not exclusive to ex-Canucks, and the tentative event roster includes Mark Lofthouse, Gary Nylund, Randy Heath, Larry Melnyk, David Bruce, and Gary Bromley.
“Nurses 4Kids Nanaimo has assembled what is expected to be an event to be remembered,” says an event press release. “The ‘hockey playing’ doctors and nurses at the hospital have stepped aside and have given way to some more skilled players.
“In cooperation with the Nanaimo Clippers and the Vancouver Canucks Alumni an amazing event is going to take place.”
Tickets for the game at Frank Crane Arena are $20 and can be purchased at the Nanaimo Clippers office or ordered online at <www.nanaimoclippers.com>. Fans are encouraged to attend the tailgate barbeque at 2 p.m. before puck drop at 4 p.m.
Each year the Vancouver Canucks Alumni takes part in nearly a dozen charity games around B.C. The games generally include on-ice gags like buckets of water and cream pies thrown at their opponent and bribing the referees.
For this game the Canucks Alumni are working closely with Nurses 4Kids, who organize charity events benefiting local foundations. The group also organized a game against the Montreal Canadiens Alumni last year, which brought legends like Guy Lafleur to Nanaimo.
Proceeds from the event will benefit the NDHF, which raises funds towards healthcare needs on central Vancouver Island, and the JDRF, a global leader in researching diabetes cures and therapies.
This year also marks the Nanaimo Clippers’ 40th anniversary season in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). The organization is celebrating its milestone with events like Hockey for Life, and will also host the Western Canada Cup (WCC) in Apr.
Former Vancouver Canuck draft pick and current country music star Chad Brownlee will kick off the WCC opening ceremonies before Junior-A clubs west of Ontario compete for the championship.
For more information on the Hockey for Life event or the WCC, call the Clippers office at 250-751-0593.