Rogers Hometown Hockey Tour heading to Thunder Bay

Don Cherry won’t be along for the ride, but his longtime sidekick Ron MacLean will be in Thunder Bay in January for Rogers Hometown Hockey Tour.

Each Sunday during the NHL season, the national broadcaster hosts a celebration from a Canadian community, featuring NHL alumni, hometown heroes, local entertainment and hockey stories delivered by MacLean.

“Each weekend is a uniquely Canadian experience that brings us all together,” said MacLean in a release issued by the network.
“Our mantra has been simple - take you someplace and tell a story. We've discovered at each stop a story that belongs to us as no other story could. It's of Canadians, with hockey at its core.”

The broadcast takes place during Rogers’ airing of a regular-season game between the Ottawa Senators and Chicago Blackhawks at the United Centre in Chicago.

Michael Smith, the city’s general manager of community services, said city officials are excited to be one of 24 communities involved.

“As everybody’s aware, Thunder Bay has got a rich history in hockey. We’ve produced a number of NHL talents and the list is certainly plentiful of the players who have gone on to have successful careers,” Smith said.

“So certainly that was one of the things that attracted (Rogers). They loved the environment and the history of hockey and they were very impressed when we started to have the dialogue to be one of the 24 communities.”

Present day NHLers include the brothers Staal – Eric, Marc and Jordan – Patrick Sharp, Robert Bortuzzo and Carter Hutton.

Past NHLers include the likes of hockey hall of famers Jack Adams and Alex Delvecchio, Walt Poddubny, Vic Venasky, and siblings Greg and Ryan Johnson and Tom and Taylor Pyatt.

Smith said it’s too soon to say where the event will be held, but Fort William Gardens is in the mix.

“The location is something we’re working on with Rogers, specifically. The Gardens is a potential, but there are other areas within the city they’ve expressed some interest in.

“we haven’t nailed that down yet, as we move forward and a question we need to confirm as we move forward in the coming months.”

The impact of having the event in the city, broadcast across the nation, and thanks to technology, around the world, could be huge, Smith said.

“Exposure’s going to be great. It’s Jan. 3, and people are still kind of in that holiday mode from Christmas and New Year’s. I don’t the exact spinoffs at this time and what that will do, but it’s very exciting to have exposure and to have that caliber (here),” he said.

“Ron MacLean has had a long history with Hockey Night in Canada and has been the face of hockey for a long time.”

Smith added he expects much of the broadcast activities, to be accessible to the general public.

Some of those events, in addition to the broadcast itself, include Sportsnet’s be a Broadcaster, the Scotiabank Community Locker Room and the Dodge Slow ‘n Go Challenge."

The second-year series kicks off on Oct. 11 in Kitchener. Thunder Bay is the 13th stop on the tour, which will take the show to all corners of Canada, from Yellowknife to Corner Brook N.B.