It's been called "Canada's Second National Anthem." It's heard on backyard rinks, frozen ponds across the country, the asphalt tarmac of an air base serving Canadian troops in Afghanistan — wherever Canadians gather with sticks in hand.

Dun-dun-DUN-DUN-dah…

A fan collects an autograph from Olympic gold medal winnner Cassie Campbell during Hockey Day in Canada.
(CBC)

Come Saturday, the Hockey Night in Canada Theme will echo in the Selkirk Mountains around Nelson, a city of about 10,000 people in B.C.'s Southern Interior.

The Nelson and District Community Complex plays host Saturday to the CBC's seventh annual Hockey Day in Canada. The 13-hour telecast begins at noon ET with a focus on the thousands of minor hockey volunteers who make the game possible across the country.

Then at 2 p.m. ET, the puck drops in the first game of the all-Canadian tripleheader, starting with Montreal at Ottawa, followed by Vancouver at Toronto (7 p.m. ET) and Edmonton at Calgary (10 p.m. ET).

HDIC's broadcast team of Ron MacLean, Don Cherry, Cassie Campbell, Dick Irvin and hockey commentator Scott Morrison will be joined by Maple Leafs legend Wendel Clark, who will run a hockey clinic for young players to develop their skills.

Rich in hockey tradition

It is fitting that this year's host city, founded in 1886, was originally called "Stanley" after then-Governor General Lord Stanley who donated the cup that would bear his name and become synonymous with Canada's passion.

But the West Kootenay town can trace its hockey roots beyond the cup. The names of great NHL talent from Nelson include Danny Gare, Pat Price, Greg Adams, and Lester and Frank Patrick.

The Patricks are often credited with creating modern hockey with several innovations, including the addition of blue lines, the forward pass, penalty shots and the playoff system.

John Dooley, Nelson's mayor and a Canucks fan, said he hoped the event would put Nelson on the hockey map in the same way it did for last year's host town of Stephenville, N.L.

"It's a huge morale boost for our community," Dooley told CBC.ca on Friday.

"Small rural communities really have to work to get recognition. For Hockey Day in Canada to come our home, it gives us coast-to-coast coverage. It's just marvelous."

In the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, the Maple Leafs will honour the men and women of Canada's Armed Forces during their game against the Canucks.

The Leafs have invited more than 100 military personnel who have served in Afghanistan to watch the game from the ACC Gondola.