Rogers Hometown Hockey is set to put Cochrane on the national stage Feb. 12 when the third annual series of the event rolls into town.
Mayor Ivan Brooker, who is stoked to showcase the community and Cochrane’s hockey prowess, said three weeks ago organizers for the tour contacted him about the possibility of hosting the event and a week later it was a done deal.
That week wasn’t short on work either. Brooker called together all the key players, including organizers of the Kimmett Cup three-on-three tournament.
Through the discussions it was decided the date of the tournament, that attracts hundreds of teams each year, would be changed so it could be featured in the national broadcast.
“Everybody saw it as a tremendous opportunity for the Town of Cochrane,” said Brooker, adding the excitement made it easy to do things like juggle ice times to move the Kimmett Cup to February – it is usually held in January.
Brooker said when combined with the Kimmett Cup, Rogers Hometown Hockey will mean thousands of people will attend the event and not only get a taste for Cochrane hospitality but for Cochrane as a hockey town. A town that has produced NHL players the likes of Mason Raymond, Dillon Dube, Justin Dowling and Joe Colbourne.
“It will be an exciting weekend of all things hockey,” said Brooker.
It will also potentially be an economic boon for the community, the mayor added.
Associated costs to the town will go toward what Brooker called “soft services,” meaning things such as staff salaries and other small logistical duties.
All told, he expects the town to spend between $10,000 and $12,000 to host the event, which will be miniscule compared to the payoff.
Brooker said other communities that have hosted the event have seen the economic spinoff of “nothing less that $300,000.”
Reid Kimmett, with the Lindsay Leigh Kimmett Memorial Foundation, said he is excited that the Kimmett cup will be featured nationally.
“We feel honoured that the work that’s gone into the tournament and what’s done for the community will be recognized on a national level,” he said.
Better yet, the broadcast will bring awareness to the foundation and the charities it support, as well as Cochrane’s community spirit, Kimmett said.
Kimmett does not expect the date change of the tournament to cause any headaches. With five months advanced notice, he is confident all the teams planning to attend will be able to.
Rogers announced the 2016-2017 Hometown tour at the beginning of the month with a list of 24 communities participating.
“Each community visited is highlighted on the Rogers Hometown Hockey broadcasts and hosted live onsite by Canadian icon Ron MacLean with co-host Tara Slone, headlined by an NHL game broadcast every Sunday on Sportsnet,” stated a news realease.
The Feb. 12 NHL game associated with the Cochrane visit is between the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins.
Every stop of the tour features two days of activities and celebrations that include music, NHL alumni, local heroes, and entertainment for families to enjoy.
