CBC-Sports

Hockey, hospitality and tuques in Terrace, B.C.

February 3, 2009 06:07 PM | Posted by   Cassie Campbell  

Let the tour and the fun begin!

I have the amazing opportunity of representing Hockey Night in Canada on the Kraft Hockeyville 2009 contest. Each week for the next five weeks, an NHL legend and I get to travel to a different location across Canada to reveal the communities who have made it into the Top 5.

This year’s submissions increased 787 per cent from last year and there is no question that the Kraft Hockeyville contest has become a huge event within Canada.

This past weekend former NHL goaltender Kirk McLean joined me in Terrace, B.C., to kick off the celebrations. Terrace had one week’s notice that CBC was coming and they put on a fantastic celebration.

From the moment we got there the hospitality was in full gear trying to impress the country on why Terrace should be Kraft Hockeyville 2009. Kirk was truly a great sport as he participated in everything possible even though his original flight was cancelled and his luggage didn’t show up until the last day. He signed numerous autographs, took hundreds of pictures and really made the town feel special for the time he was there. It was an honour to work alongside him on the show.

Carol Fielding, the chairperson for the Terrace bid, was energetic and enthusiastic as she led her troops to put on a wonderful weekend. The arena was jam packed for the three days we were there and the endless list of activities really brought the community together and showcased why they are so passionate about hockey.

It has been a tough go for Terrace for quite some time, as the last 10 years have seen the town struggle economically with the closing of two mills, but that hasn’t stopped their passion for the game of hockey and each other. I truly believe that win or lose the people of the community of Terrace can honestly come out of this competition with the satisfaction that this project brought them closer together. People of different backgrounds all coming together for one common goal - each other.

Thank you to Terrace for the great hospitality. Thanks to the Terrace River Kings and the Hazelton Wolverines for playing a great hockey game that we spoke about several times on the broadcast. Also thank you to the First Nations Killer Whale Clan who treated us with a traditional song and dance that proved to me that I really need to work on my rhythm! Also, I have to thank the Midget Boys Terrace River Kings team for the new tuque - yes, they knitted Kirk and I a tuque each! They kill time on their long bus rides by knitting tuques and then sell them to make money for their team. I highly recommend the bright pink and yellow one that I received! Good luck for the rest of the season.

Good luck to Terrace, B.C., and congratulations for being the first of our Top 5 locations.

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