In just a few days, Rogers Hometown Hockey, Canada’s ultimate touring hockey festival, will come to Langley City.
Langley is one of the 25 communities throughout the 2018-19 season that will host the tour, and its 15th stop is downtown Langley City this weekend.
Running from Saturday through to Sunday evening, the festival ends with an outdoor viewing party of a national NHL game broadcast hosted live. The national match-up will be Florida versus Vancouver, set for 3:30 p.m.
The free family-friendly hockey celebration features two days of live entertainment, NHL alumni, local celebrities and hockey-themed activities for all ages.
“Come on down, it’s going to be fun,” said City mayor Val van den Broek, a fan of the game who comes from a hockey family.
Van den Broek’s father, Walter Serediak, was a trainer and scout for the Edmonton Oil Kings, who won the 1963 Memorial Cup.
The mayor plans to dust off one of her hockey jerseys for the event.
Langley City will be featured on Rogers Hometown Hockey, the weekly Sunday broadcast available on Sportsnet, and available to stream on Sportsnet NOW and Rogers NHL LIVE.
Hosts Ron MacLean and Tara Slone will be on site for the festivities, which includes meet-and-greet opportunities with NHL star Kirk McLean, live local entertainment, and the live Sportsnet NHL broadcast.
It all starts noon Saturday at Innes Corners Plaza and will conclude on Sunday evening following the Rogers Hometown Hockey outdoor viewing party.
The evening’s broadcast kicks off with a special pre-game show hosted by MacLean and Slone live from the Sportsnet Mobile Studio beginning at 3:30 p.m., followed by a showdown between the Florida Panthers and the Vancouver Canucks, on Sportsnet, Sportsnet NOW and Rogers NHL LIVE.
The free hockey-themed weekend features games, prize giveaways, fun activities, and live local entertainment for the whole family, including:
Rogers Fan Hub: Help support local minor hockey and participate in fun and interactive experiences, autograph signings with NHL alum Kirk McLean, video game stations, bubble hockey, and popcorn!
Sportsnet Virtual Photo Booth and Interactive Games: Fans have the chance to get close to their favourite players through virtual technology. Fans can take photos with virtual images of NHL stars, and have the photo emailed directly to their device for social sharing and their chance to win great prizes.Hockey players of all ages will be able to show off their hockey skills and see how they match up to the NHL stars.
The Hockey Circus Show: Hockey acrobat Paz juggles everything from pucks to flaming hockey sticks while standing on top of a net.
Scotiabank Community Hockey Rink: A family-friendly outdoor hockey space to engage hockey fans, interact with NHL alumni, celebrate the game and play ball hockey. Scotiabank will also be donating $15,000 to minor hockey associations in the community.
Ram Haul of Fame: Features the Ram 1500 in a hockey-themed obstacle course that will test the skills of fans of all ages. Fans have the opportunity to enter the Breakaway Giveaway contest to win an all-new 2019 Ram 1500 for their family and $5,000 for their local minor hockey association.
Live music will be featured throughout the weekend beginning with Brookswood Country Band performing on Saturday followed by Jessica Barbour on Sunday.
Motorists are advised that 56 Avenue and the City-owned Glover Road parking lot will be open to access the Fraser Highway One Way.
Fraser Highway from 203 Street to 204 Street and sections of Glover Road will be closed from Thursday, January 10, beginning at 8 a.m. to Monday, January 14 until 4 a.m. for the event. Local businesses will be open.
Motorists should drive with caution and obey traffic control personnel, and use alternate routes for the duration of this road closure.
Coast Mountain Bus will be rerouting affected bus routes and transit riders should check Translink for temporary bus stop locations.
