An innovative charitable hockey tournament supporting Alzheimer’s research is under way at Servus Credit Union Place.
The Scotiabank Pro-Am for Alzheimer’s is the ultimate hockey experience for amateur players aged 30 and up as they skate with and against several NHL alumni. They include Glenn Anderson, Brian Benning, Perry Berezan, Rob Brown, Wendel Clark, Paul Coffey, Nathan Dempsey, Ron Flockhart, Dave Hunter, Chris Joseph, Mike Krushelnyski, Norm Lacombe, Dave Lumley, Jamie Macoun, Marty McSorley, Lanny McDonald, Mark Napier, Kraig Nienhuis and Chris Nilan.
Admission is free for two games at Performance Arena. Tonight’s exhibition contest, blending fundraising all-stars and NHL alumni into two all-star teams, starts at 7 p.m. Sunday’s championship game between the top two fundraising teams, joined by NHL alumni, goes at 1 p.m. to wrap up the weekend activities. Doors open 30 minutes prior to the drop of the puck at both games.
The tournament is an extension of the Scotiabank Pro-Am in Toronto, formerly known as the Baycrest International Pro-Am Hockey Tournament, which raised $7.5 million in its four-year history.
At Friday’s draft party, each participating team of 11 to 17 players, plus one coach, will draft an NHL alumnus to play for them. Teams must raise a minimum of $25,000 and draft positions determined by the total dollars raised by each team. Proceeds will benefit the Gordie & Colleen Howe Fund for Alzheimer’s, which provides valuable funding for research in Alzheimer’s and related disorders. A portion of the proceeds will also go towards NHL Alumni Association community programs.
The Gordie & Colleen Howe Fund for Alzheimer’s was established last year and is named in tribute to Gordie Howe and in memory of his wife Colleen, who passed away from Pick’s disease, a form of dementia, in March of 2009.
The St. Albert Storm kicks off the midget spring league tier I regular season today against the Edmonton Mustangs at 5:30 p.m. at Clarke Park. Admission is $5.
Last year the team of Grade 9, 10 and 11 players finished 1-4 in tier I and 3-4 overall as the tier III playoff champions.
Sunday’s purple/black game will wrap up the St. Albert Steel’s spring camp at Akinsdale Arena.
Faceoff is 3:30 p.m. between the top prospects at the weekend evaluations.
Steel hopefuls are divided into 10 teams and all participants receive four on-ice sessions of game play. Visit www.steelhockey.ca for rosters and ice times.
The mission of the camp is to give the scouting staff a chance to evaluate future prospects, while allowing them the opportunity to evaluate the Steel’s coaching staff and organization.
