On Jan. 11 a roster of Vancouver Canucks alumni will be facing off against Sunshine Coast Blues coaches, sponsors and special guests at the Gibsons arena.
“Sunshine Coast Minor Hockey is very excited to have some great high calibre players join us here on the Sunshine Coast, and we are looking forward to a great hockey game,” said organizer Melissa Tripp, in a release.
Jackson Davies of Beachcombers fame will be giving orders as head coach of the Canucks alumni team to legends such as right winger Blair “B.J.” MacDonald and Thomas Gradin, who played with the Canucks when they made their first Stanley Cup finals appearance in 1982.
Chris Higgins played left wing for the Canucks when they made it to the finals in 2011, and MVP Kirk Alan McLean played for the Canucks during the 1994 Stanley Cup finals against the New York Rangers.
Other former NHLers include Kyle Wellwood, Chad Brownlee (now a Juno-nominated country music artist), Terry Bingley, Gary Nylund, John Craighead, Larry Melnyk (who won two Stanley Cups when playing with Edmonton in 1984 and 1985), and 1987 Stanley Cup winner Maurice Lemay.
Al Murdoch, a voice actor and announcer for the Canucks, will be giving the play-by-plays.
Money raised from the annual fundraiser will be used for on-ice training equipment and development programs.
Autograph signing will take place before the 6:30 p.m. puck drop. Admission is $15 for adults, $10 for children under 12, and $40 for families. Tickets are available at scminorhockey.com, Dave Coyle Antiques in Gibsons and Trail Bay Source for Sports in Sechelt.
