Hockeyville Hub: Sydney

Kraft Hockeyville, now in its 15th year, awards winning communities in Canada a once-in-a-lifetime experience for hockey fans. This year, two different communities hosted preseason games, West Lorne, Ontario, a 5-2 win for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Buffalo Sabres and the Florida Panthers playing the Ottawa Senators at Centre 200 in Sydney, Nova Scotia, on Sunday (4 p.m. ET; NHLN, YouTube/NHL). In each community, the local rink received $250,000 in arena upgrades, and there will be festivities and player appearances prior to the games. NHL.com staff writer Jon Lane is in Sydney to provide all the sights, sounds, highlights and news.

Saturday

The place where we learn

The years I've covered Hockeyville have been a learning journey beyond the game. There's an incredible sense of community and a way of life tethered by history, tradition and, of course, hockey. That was illuminated when I joined members of Mi'kmaq First Nation for a walk around Maupeltuewey Kina'matno'kuom Membertou School and a traditional round dance.

Maupeltuewey Kina'matno'kuom, means "the place where we learn" in Mi'kmaw. Part of the learning journey here in Sydney is a strong Indigenous connection to hockey and the Mi'kmaq crafting hockey sticks for more than a century. Less than 24 hours before the Senators play the Panthers at Centre 200, the roots to the game remain strong and the people united in their love for it.

"We are so grateful for Kraft Hockeyville and the NHL staff as well to come into Mi'kmaq territory," said Graham Marshall, Councillor, Membertou Mi'kmaw Nation.

Two days ago, the Caruk Stick, which at 127 years old could be the oldest known made by the Mi'kmaw, was put on display at the Birthplace of Hockey Museum in Windsor after historian David Foster Carter traced it back to the late 19th century. The stick's return to its origins was a significant morale boost to the Mi'kmaq.

"So many things have been displaced from indigenous tribes, our lands and our artifacts," Marshall said, "When they come back to their territories, that's reconciling and that's so important."

Marshall will be playing his hand drum at Centre 200 and join Chief of Membertou Terry Paul, holder of the position for 37 years that's the longest tenured in Canada and who will be doing a land acknowledgement. Pjila'si is a Mi'kmaq word loosely translated to "Welcome: Come in and sit down." Before the walk, Marshall encouraged sitting to be connected to the creator and performed a Mi'kmaq song honoring one's lineage and helping one another.

There will be a Mi'kmaq presence at Centre 200, Hockeyville's final day in Sydney, and those seeing the NHL in person for the first time. It will be another place of learning.

"People are going to remember that day for the rest of their lives for the close relationship we have with the NHL, and our town here as well," Marshall said. "As Mi'kmaq people, we hear about our land acknowledgement of the unseeded ancestral lands of the Mi'kmaq, but another thing that we truly care about is creating relationships. That's why it gives an opportunity of non-Indigenous communities and Indigenous communities to come together so that they can co-succeed with one another."

Friday

'The time is now for women's hockey'

Hockeyville and Sydney have made that clear with the rebuilding of Canada Games Complex, which when finished by December 2024 will be Canada's first hub for women's hockey. The community gathered on the campus of Cape Breton University to celebrate history, winning the 2022 title. Fans lined up to get photos taken with the Stanley Cup, enjoying live music, a free barbecue and a meet-and-greet with Emerance Maschmeyer and Jill Saulnier of the Professional Women's Hockey League.

Sydney's date with destiny is in harmony with the inaugural season of the PWHL scheduled to begin January 2024. Maschmeyer, a 26-year-old goalie, was one of the first three players to each sign a three-year, free agent contract with Ottawa (Emily Clark, Brianne Jenner). Saulnier, a 31-year-old forward and Halifax native, was selected by New York in the seventh round (No. 40) of the 2023 PWHL Draft.

The two were gold-medal winners for Canada at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. For the longest time, the buzz from the Olympics faded and left them and many others without playing competitively for months or even years. The new Canada Games Complex branded with Kraft Hockeyville will be the latest and greatest outlet for little girls to dream bigger.

"The time is now for women's hockey," Maschmeyer said. "Sydney's such a big women's hockey community and the fact that so many female hockey players are involved in sport and there's a continuing growing population of female hockey players -- I'm proud to hear and know that. Women's hockey is one of the fastest growing games in North America, and now that we have our professional league, I'm incredibly excited to showcase women's hockey on that stage."

Maschmeyer, played at Harvard University and Calgary of the Canadian Women's Hockey League. Her message to the next generation will be to work hard, see every day as an opportunity and enjoy the journey. She and Saulnier spent most of their childhoods playing on boys' teams and backyard rinks with little hope of making hockey their professional occupation, even with Saulnier's accomplished resume. She won gold at the 2021 IIHF Women's World Championship, silver at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics and played for Calgary and Montreal of the CWHL.

Her next move is New York for her next and greatest opportunity. She's still comprehending the reality of it.

"It didn't really hit me," Saulnier said. "I technically just became a professional (Sept. 18) for the first time in my life, which is just crazy. Now girls can dream when they're younger to be a professional and go through the ranks and watch our pro teams, and dream to be those players, and see that it's actually something that's very doable. Roadblocks just make you stronger. I think that's what the group of girls that came before us, us, and the group of girls after us know, and I think that's why women's hockey has gotten to where it is."

Heroes and caregivers

A post-lunch visit by the Stanley Cup made the afternoon of brave men and women who helped Sydney recover from what was considered the worst storm in the town's history, Hurricane Fiona.

The first responders at Sydney Fire Station No. 1 do what they do because they want to, so Hockeyville made it a point to honor them.

"It's nice to get recognized; what we do, we don't do it for recognition," deputy fire chief Chris March said. "The excitement is in the air."

Hurricane Fiona was a Category 4 storm that left uprooted trees, stripped siding and roofs from houses and more than 65,000 customers on the island without power to where Sydney major Amanda McDougall instituted a state of emergency that lasted seven days. Fire Station 1 was the only responders on the road with the paramedics forced off by the bad weather. Their training, experience and resilience helped Sydney pull through. Seeing the Cup was a major morale boost that will last for a long time.

"To have this happen today just kind of puts the stamp on that," March said.

The Cup also spent time at Breton Ability Centre, a nonprofit organization assisting individuals with varying abilities reach their full potential.

"Just amazing for our residents to come out and see the Cup, something they never have the chance to do," said Jennifer Burns, manager of the learning and employment centre at Brenton. "The excitement was real. When it walked through the door, the look on the residents' faces made every bit of effort that it took for the last while to prepare for this day."

Superboy Leo

Leo Knott hugged his mother, Holly, moments after Hockeyville surprised the 7-year-old second grader and the students at Coxheath Elementary School with a visit from the Stanley Cup.

Knott's biggest thrill was touching where his favorite player, Sidney Crosby, has his name engraved after winning the Cup in back to back seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017.

"I'm happy," Leo said.

The Cup has surprised numerous children before, but this was much different. Leo was diagnosed with a type of cancer called Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH) in December 2020, when he was only 4 years old. He received 26 chemotherapy treatments at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and rang the remission bell in January 2022. Unfortunately, Leo's cancer returned in 2023 and treatment began again.

During his cancer journey he became fascinated with superheroes and their quest to fight evil. Leo's superpowers are special pajamas, a favorite sword and a greater power beyond IV and chemotherapy.

"Leo comes into class and he just shows how brave he can be," Coxheath Elementary principal Trevor LeBlanc said. "He tells other classmates it's OK. The students can't wait to see him because they know what he's going through, but he explains it to them. Anytime other students have some hardships, he helps them through when he's dealing with probably something a little harder.

"One of his one of his classmates said, 'Leo has cancer, but he's really good at it.' What she meant by that was he's so brave. To be able to surprise him with the Stanley Cup, that's stuff that you just can't write."

I'll try.

Leo's parents, Jason and Holly, said he completed another 32 IV chemo treatments so far this year and moved on to daily oral chemotherapy two months ago. A scan scheduled for November will determine if the oral chemo is doing its job.

The Knotts travel four hours each way to IWK Health Centre in Halifax for four days of treatment and blood work. It was every week in 2021, and every three weeks this year.

"The idea of switching to the oral chemo is going to cut down travel dramatically for us and hopefully get back to a little regular routine," Jason said. "Less hockey and baseball to be missed."

The Knotts are supported by Caleb's Courage, named in memory of Caleb MacArthur, a little boy who died of cancer March 24, 2015, four weeks before his fourth birthday. During his cancer journey, Caleb became fascinated with superheroes and their quest to fight evil. Caleb's Courage's mission is to help little superheroes like Caleb and Leo fight big battles.

Leo will play hockey for the County Islanders this season and join his parents to see the Senators and Panthers at Centre 200 on Sunday. The next morning is another trip to Halifax, but this time to see Crosby and the Penguins play the Senators at Scotiabank Centre.

Leo got to touch the Cup and was named honorary captain of his school's Grade 3-5 team. Being a superhero, like Caleb MacArthur, is part of his story and this one is reality.

"Part of Leo's medicine has been hockey and baseball, sports in general," Holly said. "Hockey has been a huge part of this."

Thursday

History makers

Welcome to Kraft Hockeyville 2022 and the home of the World's Largest Fiddle. The solid-steel landmark was designed and constructed by Cyril Hearn in 2005 as a tribute to the folk music of the province's Celtic community. The Big Fiddle of the Ceilidh (the Gaelic word for visit) is part of a tourism center on the waterfront and pays homage to history and tradition.

Sydney, Nova Scotia, is on course to make more history with the refurbished Canada Games Complex becoming Canada's first hub for women's hockey upon the projected opening in January 2025. Plans include an energy-efficient ice plant, electric Zamboni, a walking track and health and counseling services for students on the campus of Cape Breton University.

A large women's hockey presence was shut out of ice time too often with boys and men's teams getting priority. The Hockeyville campaign got the government's attention to institute change.

"There's about 100,000 people all around us within our scope, pretty rural, a bit urban, a little spot," Cape Breton Blizzard Female Hockey Association president Christina Lamey said. "We went from not having a girls hockey association until hockey Nova Scotia allowed them to having one; about 400 players went through our system last year. We can fill an arena with that every week."

Sydney will welcome the Ottawa Senators, Florida Panthers and the Stanley Cup for a tour that takes it to the nonprofit Brenton Ability Centre, a couple of surprise visits and a community celebration hosting a rib festival, food drive and photo opportunities with the silver chalice. Scheduled to sign autographs are forward Jill Saulnier and goalie Emerance Maschmeyer. Each won a gold medal for Canada at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, Saulnier, who was chosen by New York in the seventh round (No. 40) of the 2023 PWHL Draft and Maschmeyer was one of the first three players to sign a three-year contract with Ottawa of the Professional Women's Hockey League, along with forwards Emily Clark and Brianne Jenner.

The area is also energized to welcome home Senators forward Drake Batherson to where he played for Cape Breton of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from 2015-18 and where his family has lived since his father, Norm Batherson, retired from pro hockey at the end of the 2005-06 season.

Drake, the Senators and Panthers will walk the red carpet bright and early Sunday. Sydney is ready.

"I think that's going to be quite a popular storyline locally with the Batherson family, our mainstays on the north side of our harbor here," Lamey said.