All seven Canada-based NHL teams play Saturday, and four games will be televised as part of more than 13 hours of Hockey Day in Canada programming on "Hockey Night in Canada."
The Montreal Canadiens host the Winnipeg Jets (2 p.m. ET; CBC, TVA Sports, SN, NHL.TV), the Edmonton Oilers visit the Chicago Blackhawks (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, WGN, NHL.TV), the Ottawa Senators visit the Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; CBC, TVA Sports, NHL.TV) and the Calgary Flames visit the Vancouver Canucks (10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, NHL.TV).
MacLean and Cherry will share the Hockey Day in Canada spotlight in the northwestern Ontario city with Hockey Hall of Fame members Lanny McDonald and Bryan Trottier and former NHL players Darcy Tucker, Mark Napier and Mike Richards, a Kenora native. The full slate of activities began with an official faceoff at the Lake of the Woods Discovery Centre on Wednesday.
Enhancing Hockey Day in Canada celebrations this year in Kenora will be the NHL Centennial Fan Arena. The interactive traveling fan experience will visit all 31 NHL cities this year as part of the League's Centennial celebrations.
The
NHL Centennial Fan Arena
, which features a 53-foot museum truck, an entertainment truck with a giant video screen, the Clear The Ice Zamboni VR Experience and the Stanley Cup, will be located at the Whitecap Pavilion and Kenora's Harbourfront, and will be open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
Kenora is the first non-NHL team community to be visited by the NHL Centennial Fan Arena, which already has traveled to Toronto, Arizona, Dallas, San Jose, Anaheim, Los Angeles and St. Louis.
"As an old Toronto Maple
, a popular Winnipeg Jets season-ticket holder who died at the age of 98 on Sept. 13, 2016.
Hockey Day in Canada action in Kenora also will include an alumni game between the Kenora Thistles and former NHL players at the Kenora Recreation Centre on Thursday. McDonald and Tucker have been chosen as team captains for the game, which will include Richards, Napier and former NHL goalie Rick St. Croix.
The Kenora Recreation Centre also will be the site of two regional league games Saturday. There will be a Manitoba AAA Midget game between the Kenora Thistles and Interlake Lightning, and a Superior International Junior Hockey League game between the Fort Frances Lakers and English River Miners.
The Miners have unveiled special jerseys for the game to honor Cherry's flamboyant wardrobe with colors of black, gold and white with grey stripes. Their jerseys also include a poppy to pay tribute to members of the military.
The Kenora Recreation Centre also will host a sledge hockey demonstration and free trial participation session Saturday morning.
Development personnel from the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets will conduct three hockey clinics each during the week of Hockey Day in Canada. They will be held at the Keewatin Memorial Arena on Thursday, the Kenora Recreation Centre on Friday and on the outdoor rink on Safety Bay on Saturday.
The Stanley Cup will make the rounds of the Kenora region Thursday and Friday, appearing at two schools and a senior center.
"We've tried to reach out to all age groups so everybody can participate in the Hockey Day in Canada event," Reynard said. "After Friday's school visit, we had hoped to keep the visit to the Pinecrest Home for the Aged as a surprise. But it's tough to keep a secret in a small town."
Among the official ceremonies Saturday is the Grand Entry at the Whitecap Pavilion. It will include traditional native dancers, drummers, chiefs and elders from Kenora Chiefs Advisory and the Grand Council Treaty No. 3.
The city will also host a Hockey Day in Canada gala dinner Friday night.
