Ten-year-old Garrett Wells shoots a puck into the net on the Avon River in Stratford, Ont., as part of Hockey Day in Canada activities.Ten-year-old Garrett Wells shoots a puck into the net on the Avon River in Stratford, Ont., as part of Hockey Day in Canada activities. (Dave Chidley/Canadian Press)

It was a quintessential Canadian moment, albeit one created for a television special.

There were thousands of people — young and old — skating on the Avon River in Stratford, Ont., as part of the Tim Hortons Hockey Day in Canada festivities on Saturday.

Temperatures hovered around –15 C, colder than usual for the region, but with the sun shining brightly on the ice, and hardly any wind, there weren't many complaints about the weather.

The 14-hour CBC broadcast began at noon ET, with Hockey Night in Canada host Ron MacLean wearing a red hand-woven sweater and a tuque as he skated with a group of local children.

Celebrating the sport of hockey and its contributions to communities from coast to coast to coast has been the focus of the CBC initiative since it began 10 years ago in Toronto.

But Saturday's event, and the week that led up to it, proved that Hockey Day has evolved into a cultural festival.

"It's not just Hockey Day," Stratford Mayor Dan Mathieson said. "It's hockey week."

CBC production crews had taken over the city since Tuesday. Police blocked off roads and planned a fresh flood and grooming of the Avon River specifically for the event. On every corner of Stratford there were people wearing Hockey Day jerseys, and stores were all decorated with hockey memorabilia.

Stratford's historic William Allman Arena and the Avon River played central roles, but there was also a winter carnival in the arena parking lot, and musical performances throughout the week — Canadian icon Randy Bachman played a concert on Wednesday night at the Festival Theatre.

The William Allman Arena — site of Wayne Gretzky's first minor hockey goal in 1968 — also received a heritage designation on Saturday. The 1924-built rink is widely considered to be one of the oldest arenas still in regular use in the country.

A ball hockey tournament closed one of the streets next to the river, and for one day only, an old-fashioned green and yellow trolley shuttled residents from one end of town to the other.

Many famous Stratford personalities were involved in promoting Hockey Day, including two-time Stanley Cup winner Tim Taylor, and CBC anchor Peter Mansbridge.

On the ice, Hockey Day has thrived with a strong partnership with the NHL. Once again, the league scheduled three all-Canadian matchups, Montreal at Ottawa, Vancouver at Toronto, and Edmonton at Calgary.

CBC also had live reports from local hockey games in St. John's, Ottawa, Gimli, Man., Estevan, Sask., Calgary, and Victoria.

The celebration couldn't come at a better time for the sport, which has been under the microscope lately for a perceived increase in violent incidents on the ice.

But residents stressed that Hockey Day was about much more than improving the game's image. It was about showcasing Stratford's spirit and how small communities can pull together to achieve big results.

Any funds raised from Hockey Day will be split among the region's minor hockey organizations.