Minor bantam club to be part of Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts
Mar 07, 2009 - 04:30 AM
By Brian McNair
OSHAWA -- The Durham Raiders Minor Bantam hockey team will get its 15 minutes of fame on Saturday night.
The Raiders welcomed a film crew from the CBC to the Campus Ice Centre in Oshawa on Tuesday, where a segment was taped to be aired during Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts across the country Saturday.
As Scotiabank Hockey Tonight Kids, the minor league hockey team will be introducing games on the pre-game show at 6:30 p.m., including the Toronto Maple Leaf's match against the Edmonton Oilers in this region.
"When you think about the fact that these are 13-year-old kids who probably watch Hockey Night in Canada every Saturday, to see some of their heroes out there on the ice and to be part of that show, will be pretty amazing for them," says Grant Wright, the team's head coach.
Wright, who's from Whitby along with many of his players, couldn't say enough about the sponsorship opportunities presented by Scotiabank, which will treat the team to a pizza party at Sgt. Peppers in Whitby that night.
The Raiders are one of only 25 teams across the country chosen to participate in the Hockey Night in Canada program.
"We're in the middle of the playoffs now and we're on a bit of a losing streak, but this was a great opportunity for the boys to sort of put that behind them and have some fun," Wright says. "They're really looking forward to seeing this on TV."
Scotiabank introduced the program last year, to great success.
"The Scotiabank Hockey Tonight Kids program was an absolute hit with the kids last year and we're thrilled to be calling up another 25 teams this season," Scotiabank branch manager Enno Kaasik said in a press release. "Scotiabank has always been proud of our support of minor hockey in Canada and we hope this program gives kids a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to feel the excitement of Hockey Night in Canada and the big leagues."
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