Scott Russell wouldn't have it any other way.
The Hockey Night in Canada reporter, braved the rush of Arctic Air that settled in over Thunder Bay this week, donned his blades and took on the patriarch of Northwestern Ontario's first family of hockey on the rink his sons built.
"As Badger Bob Johnson used to say whenever it got cold outside, it's a great day for hockey. It's a little cold in Thunder Bay today. I know you've had kind of a mild winter so far, but it's absolutely perfect to be out here on the natural ice and to see how much hockey means to the community," Russell said.
"When you talk about the Staal brothers and all they've done for hockey and what the family's done for the game in this community, you know what, this is just what Hockey Day in Canada is supposed to be all about."
The annual event is CBC's tribute to Canada's game, featuring a triple-header slate of games, usually involving only Canada's NHL squads. This year, with the addition of a seventh team, the Winnipeg Jets, they took their show south of the border, where Thunder Bay's Jordan Staal and the Pittsburgh Penguins ripped apart the Jets 8-5, Henry's third son collecting a goal and an assist after missing five weeks with an injury.
Thunder Bay was one of several communities featured on the day-long show, with several cut-ins aired from the Thunder Bay Christian School, where NHLer's Jordan, Eric and Marc Staal – and NHL hopeful Jared – attended school and later built an outdoor rink.
Choosing to bring Hockey Day in Canada to Thunder Bay for the first time since 2003 was a no-brainer, Russell said.
"Thunder Bay is a community of 110,000 people and over the years, if you take a look at your history, some great players have come out of here. You think about Alex Delvecchio, you think about Bruce Gamble the goaltender with the Toronto Maple Leafs at one point in time, and as you mentioned, the guys who are in the National Hockey League now," Russell said, adding there was another reason the city was such an appealing location.
"The National Hockey League's Goals and Dreams Fund donated 120 sets of equipments to 11 regional minor hockey associations and that's what it's all about, about making the game accessible to the people in this community."
Henry Staal said the NHLPA got a hold of son Eric, captain of the Carolina Hurricanes, and said it was his eldest who suggested Thunder Bay might benefit.
"They helped build this rink, so they thought it would be kind of a nice thing to go back to where they started everything. So that's where it came from," said Henry Staal, whose famous backyard rink at his sod farm on Candy Mountain Road is now the stuff of legends in hockey circles.
Thunder Bay has had a long love affair with the game, the former Lakehead Norwester star added.
"Not only just the players that are produced here, but I think it's for the enjoyment of all the kids," he said.
"It's a winter sport and we get a lot of winter here."
The father of three NHLers got a bit of a surprise when CBC's Ron MacLean, who is hosting Hockey Day in Canada from Prince Edward Island, threw to Russell for a cut-in in the five o'clock hour. Joining the show from Pittsburgh and Montreal, respectively, were Jordan and Eric.
As Henry held Eric's oldest son, visiting with mother Tanya from Raleigh, N.C., Eric told CBC he was glad to play a part.
"Thunder Bay definitely lives and breathes hockey and it's definitely a great thing the NHLPA is doing getting so equipment there," he said.
As children ignored the cold playing friendly games on mini-rinks built between straw bales, laughing and enjoying being kids, organizer Lorne Vis said it's just what the network wanted.
"We wanted to have a real carnival atmosphere and I think last night over at the Norwest Arena it was awesome. It was really cold, with a big wind chill. Kids were outside playing mini-games with the straw bales, there were bonfires a sliding hill and we had a bunch of games out there," said Vis a director with the Norwest Hockey Association.
Hockey Day in Canada concludes with a pair of marquee Canadian match-ups, with Toronto visiting Montreal and Vancouver traveling to Calgary.
Follow Leith Dunick on Twitter: @LeithDunick
