Post by Jari on Feb 22, 2005 17:04:19 GMT -5
Ex-Jets suiting up for Juno Cup game
Tuesday, February 22nd, 2005
By Bartley Kives
IT'S Ducky vs. Cuddy on April Fool's Day, as Juno Weekend heads to the hockey hotbed of Selkirk.
Former Winnipeg Jets centre Dale Hawerchuk and Blue Rodeo vocalist Jim Cuddy are among the first names confirmed for the Juno Cup, a celebrity hockey game pitting former NHL stars against Canadian musicians.
NHL season or no NHL season, the puck-rock extravaganza takes over the 2,670-seat Selkirk Recreation Complex on Friday, April 1. All proceeds go to MusiCan, a music-education charity run by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (CARAS).
Benefits
"We're going to Selkirk. I think it's amazing. This is one of the benefits of moving the Junos around," says Juno Cup co-founder Cuddy, director of player personnel for both the musicians and the ex-NHL squad.
Lining up beside Cuddy will be Great Big Sea leader Alan Doyle, singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer, country crooner George Canyon, Billy Talent bassist Jon Gallant and Default vocalist Dallas Smith.
Joining Hawerchuk on the pro-hockey side are former Toronto Maple Leaf Doug Gilmour and a slew of ex-Jets, including Dave Babych, Kris King, Jordy Douglas and co-organizer Perry Miller.
"For a city that has every right to hate the NHL, Winnipeg sure loves its Winnipeg Jets. The feeling is mutual from the players," says Cuddy, who suits up in a Toronto men's rec league against a squad of ex-Winnipeggers called the Wheatfield Souldiers, whose jerseys are adorned with Burton Cummings' mustachioed visage.
"We had no problem getting Jets to commit, and you can imagine how many things they're asked to do. You speak to former Jets, and they always talk about how much fun they had playing here and how many friends they made.
"Hawerchuk still considers himself a Jet, in spite of all the other cities (in which) he played."
Stars
More players for both squads will be announced in coming weeks. With no NHL hockey in April, Cuddy hopes to land a few current NHL stars.
"It's a really weird time. The players are really, really bummed," says the Blue Rodeo co-frontman.
First held in Edmonton last year, the Juno Cup is an offshoot of a Mastercard-financed, Big Brothers-sponsored equipment drive Cuddy used to organize out of Toronto.
He created the game as a means of getting musicians more excited about attending the Juno Awards, which have been held outside of Hogtown during the past four years.
Last year in Edmonton, an NHL squad led by Lanny McDonald and Tiger Williams beat a musician team featuring two members of Winnipeg's Weakerthans by a score of 12-8.
"It could have been 100 to nothing," says Cuddy. "They had Rob Brown, who had retired for, like, five minutes. But their goalie was nice and let a few in."
Still, former Jets defenceman Babych, a star during the high-flying '80s, doesn't expect to romp all over the musicians.
"Maybe it's the opposite. I haven't been playing too much in the last few years," says the Vancouver real-estate developer, refusing to talk trash even in jest.
"We don't want to go down there. Somebody could get hurt and it might be me. I haven't used my elbows in a long time."
Tickets for the Juno Cup, to be hosted by TSN personality Michael Landsberg, go on sale this Saturday, Feb. 26, for $15 at Ticketmaster, 780-3333 or www.ticketmaster.ca.
MusiCan gets the gate. Last year, the game netted about $250,000, with most of that tally coming in the form of corporate and private donations.
CARAS chose to hold the Juno Cup in Selkirk because Winnipeg's MTS Centre will be occupied by preparations for the April 3 Juno Awards telecast.
As the past host of World Junior Hockey games and curling championships, Selkirk Recreation Complex has experience with major events, explains Selkirk mayor David Bell.
"It's another feather in Selkirk's cap," says Bell, head of the city of 10,000. "This shows people Selkirk is out here and we're a good neighbour to the city of Winnipeg."
Security was another reason for the relatively remote location.
"You take it out a little further, and you'll have further problems," Bell says.
bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca
Tuesday, February 22nd, 2005
By Bartley Kives
IT'S Ducky vs. Cuddy on April Fool's Day, as Juno Weekend heads to the hockey hotbed of Selkirk.
Former Winnipeg Jets centre Dale Hawerchuk and Blue Rodeo vocalist Jim Cuddy are among the first names confirmed for the Juno Cup, a celebrity hockey game pitting former NHL stars against Canadian musicians.
NHL season or no NHL season, the puck-rock extravaganza takes over the 2,670-seat Selkirk Recreation Complex on Friday, April 1. All proceeds go to MusiCan, a music-education charity run by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (CARAS).
Benefits
"We're going to Selkirk. I think it's amazing. This is one of the benefits of moving the Junos around," says Juno Cup co-founder Cuddy, director of player personnel for both the musicians and the ex-NHL squad.
Lining up beside Cuddy will be Great Big Sea leader Alan Doyle, singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer, country crooner George Canyon, Billy Talent bassist Jon Gallant and Default vocalist Dallas Smith.
Joining Hawerchuk on the pro-hockey side are former Toronto Maple Leaf Doug Gilmour and a slew of ex-Jets, including Dave Babych, Kris King, Jordy Douglas and co-organizer Perry Miller.
"For a city that has every right to hate the NHL, Winnipeg sure loves its Winnipeg Jets. The feeling is mutual from the players," says Cuddy, who suits up in a Toronto men's rec league against a squad of ex-Winnipeggers called the Wheatfield Souldiers, whose jerseys are adorned with Burton Cummings' mustachioed visage.
"We had no problem getting Jets to commit, and you can imagine how many things they're asked to do. You speak to former Jets, and they always talk about how much fun they had playing here and how many friends they made.
"Hawerchuk still considers himself a Jet, in spite of all the other cities (in which) he played."
Stars
More players for both squads will be announced in coming weeks. With no NHL hockey in April, Cuddy hopes to land a few current NHL stars.
"It's a really weird time. The players are really, really bummed," says the Blue Rodeo co-frontman.
First held in Edmonton last year, the Juno Cup is an offshoot of a Mastercard-financed, Big Brothers-sponsored equipment drive Cuddy used to organize out of Toronto.
He created the game as a means of getting musicians more excited about attending the Juno Awards, which have been held outside of Hogtown during the past four years.
Last year in Edmonton, an NHL squad led by Lanny McDonald and Tiger Williams beat a musician team featuring two members of Winnipeg's Weakerthans by a score of 12-8.
"It could have been 100 to nothing," says Cuddy. "They had Rob Brown, who had retired for, like, five minutes. But their goalie was nice and let a few in."
Still, former Jets defenceman Babych, a star during the high-flying '80s, doesn't expect to romp all over the musicians.
"Maybe it's the opposite. I haven't been playing too much in the last few years," says the Vancouver real-estate developer, refusing to talk trash even in jest.
"We don't want to go down there. Somebody could get hurt and it might be me. I haven't used my elbows in a long time."
Tickets for the Juno Cup, to be hosted by TSN personality Michael Landsberg, go on sale this Saturday, Feb. 26, for $15 at Ticketmaster, 780-3333 or www.ticketmaster.ca.
MusiCan gets the gate. Last year, the game netted about $250,000, with most of that tally coming in the form of corporate and private donations.
CARAS chose to hold the Juno Cup in Selkirk because Winnipeg's MTS Centre will be occupied by preparations for the April 3 Juno Awards telecast.
As the past host of World Junior Hockey games and curling championships, Selkirk Recreation Complex has experience with major events, explains Selkirk mayor David Bell.
"It's another feather in Selkirk's cap," says Bell, head of the city of 10,000. "This shows people Selkirk is out here and we're a good neighbour to the city of Winnipeg."
Security was another reason for the relatively remote location.
"You take it out a little further, and you'll have further problems," Bell says.
bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca