Joey Payeur
After 15 years away, Fort Frances will have a hand in the festivities for Canada’s annual on-air hockey celebration.
It was announced yesterday that the Fort Frances Lakers will take on the English River Miners at the Kenora Recreation Centre on Feb. 18 as part of “Hockey Day in Canada,” which will broadcast on Rogers Sportsnet.
Kenora is the host city for “Hockey Day” this year, with the SIJHL being one of the beneficiaries of the situation—despite not having a franchise there yet.
“We’ve had several discussions with officials about having an expansion franchise there,” noted SIJHL Commissioner Bryan Graham.
“We received an e-mail from the organizers in the city that Kenora was part of the bidding process for the event and asked if we’d be involved if they got it,” he added.
“Of course we said we’d be very interested.”
Once it was confirmed that Kenora would host and the date was announced, Graham initiated a minor shuffle within the league’s regular-season schedule.
“When we first did the schedule, this game was put on Feb. 17 with the idea to put games around that time to hopefully get to be part of it,” he explained.
The Miners, meanwhile, extended a helping hand by offering to move what would have been a home game to Kenora to accommodate the plan.
Lakers’ president Milt Strachan said his organization was just a bit player in everything coming together.
“All we had to do was agree to it,” chuckled Strachan, who said it was a good time to give Kenora fans a taste of Junior ‘A’ hockey in advance of what residents there hope will be their city’s eventual arrival as the SIJHL’s seventh team down the road.
“It’s an opportunity to do something good for the league and to give the boys a chance to do something special,” he added.
With Rogers Sportsnet basing its broadcast headquarters for the event in Kenora, some national spotlight very well could shine on the Lakers and Miners, as it did on the Miners and Thunder Bay North Stars last year when Rogers’ “Hometown Hockey” made a stop in the Lakehead.
“I wasn’t able to be in Thunder Bay for that weekend so I e-mailed Ron McLean, who I’ve met before, and asked him if there was any chance he could get the captains of the Miners and Stars on air for an interview,” Graham recalled.
“Ron was very co-operative and ended up having [assistant captain] Ryker Moreau from English River and Thunder Bay’s Kenny Turner on the broadcast.”
“Hockey Day in Canada” traditionally has included short bits of live coverage of whatever game happens to be taking place in the host arena at the time, meaning the Lakers and Miners could end up playing in front of their biggest audience ever.
It also means McLean, and quite possibly his even more-famous “Coach’s Corner” sidekick, Don Cherry, will be on hand in Kenora to take in the action as part of the broadcast.
“I think it will be great national exposure for our league,” said Graham.
