Almost FameIce

(Grande Page 5)

For the first time in Canadian history, Citytv and Hockey Calgary team up to give young players the experience of a lifetime - the chance to play on the NHL Heritage Classic Ice - live on TV!
The thrill of the NHL Heritage Classic gets thousands of excited hockey fans across the city dreaming of the day that they might be able to skate on that outdoor ice themselves. Citytv and Hockey Calgary recently decided to make that dream a reality.
Hockey Calgary and Breakfast Television will be teaming up to put on the first annual BT Outdoor Classic, hosting 952 Atom hockey players (9-10yrs) from February 21st to 25th on rinks all throughout Calgary, ending with two gold medal games on the NHL Heritage Classic ice at McMahon Stadium.
This tournament is open to all Atom players in every division. The tournament will be accepting 56 teams and 7 divisions and is on a first come first serve basis.
“We're really excited to partner with Breakfast Television and give kids the opportunity to be a part of a very exciting hockey tournament. Playing hockey is all about having fun and making friends and this tournament will showcase just that,” said Perry Cavanagh, president, Hockey Calgary.
Every morning during that week, there will be two one-hour games on an outside pond or rink in the city. These games will count towards the round-robin and will be played live on Breakfast Television to give kids an exciting, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

As a hockey mom herself, general manager Paula Davies is equally enthusiastic, “The most exciting thing for us at Citytv is the impact we'll make on these young kids lives. We wanted to do something really exciting for Calgary youth and showcase some of the amazing people in our city at the same time. We'll be covering this as if it were the NHL and really want to give these kids one of the best weeks of their lives.”
Family and friends will have the chance to vote for their division to play their final game at McMahon Stadium. The two divisions which receive the most votes will get to play on the same ice as the Calgary Flames and the Montreal Canadians when they go head to head at the 2011 Heritage Classic the week before.
Following the tournament, Citytv has rented the McMahon Ice for the remainder of the day and will give the rest of the city the chance to skate on the ice. With a skills competition in the early afternoon and a family skate for the general public from 3-8pm, players, kids and families will get the once in a lifetime chance to skate on the same ice as the hockey greats.
Visit www.btcalgary.ca and www.hockeycalgary.com