Post by Jari on Nov 23, 2005 22:34:55 GMT -5
It's superstars and sweetgrass at aboriginal fundraiser
Wednesday, November 23rd, 2005
By Chris Cariou
BRYAN Trottier finally had a peak inside the MTS Centre yesterday.
And the retired NHL Hall of Famer, who's heading up a team of aboriginal ex-NHL players such as Reggie Leach, Stan Jonathan, Jimmy Neilson and George Armstrong that will play the Winnipeg Jets alumni in a fundraising game at the new facility Jan. 12, declared the arena a marvel and the game a go.
"It's very exciting," Trottier said after arriving in Winnipeg and visiting the MTS Centre for a look-see before scheduled meetings with Mayor Sam Katz, provincial politicians and local aboriginal leaders. "This is my first opportunity to see the MTS Centre and that was the key to be able to lock this thing up and have that as our site.
"I think it's a fantastic facility, we know that this thing is going to gain speed... we're really fortunate we've got this kind of foundation working with us and I think it's going to be benefiting a lot of kids, a lot of youth, and it's going bring a lot of recognition to the city of Winnipeg."
Tickets for the game will be $15 each and are to go on sale as soon as they can be printed following meetings with True North Sports and Entertainment Inc., which runs the arena. But the game is only part of the festivities. Thousands of aboriginal youth from across Manitoba are expected to attend to hear workshops on alcohol abuse, drug abuse and self-esteem.
Those workshops will be conducted by the likes of Leach, a recovered alcoholic, and Trottier, one of the best NHL players of all time and the leader of the New York Islanders' dynasty in the late 1970s. He calls himself a half-breed who grew up in Val Marie, Sask.
The game is tentatively being called Legends and Legacies and will include such former Jets as Dale Hawerchuk, Thomas Steen and Ab McDonald, local film-maker and event organizer Don Marks said. Ulf Nilsson is likely coming too and he'll be joined by Jordy Douglas and other former Jets.
The game will also be a showcase for aboriginal performers, artists and dancers. "When we can make ourselves available to the youth and give our experiences and bring awareness to some of the choices they're making and some of the challenges that we had to get through in order to achieve our success, we know that it's going to benefit them," Trottier said.
Marks, who made the widely acclaimed documentary film They Call Me Chief (which will be shown on the arena's Jumbotron during the day), is the main local organizer. Winnipeg is to be the kickoff point for a series of games he hopes will eventually extend all across Canada, the U.S. and Europe. The Free Press is one of the presenting sponsors.
Added Calvin Pompana, president of the White Buffalo Spiritual Society: "We've been involved in a lot of traditional events like sundances and our indigenous village at The Forks, but this is a hockey game attracting the Winnipeg Jets alumni and also of course these aboriginal players that have been successful in the NHL in the past."
chris.cariou@freepress.mb.ca
Wednesday, November 23rd, 2005
By Chris Cariou
BRYAN Trottier finally had a peak inside the MTS Centre yesterday.
And the retired NHL Hall of Famer, who's heading up a team of aboriginal ex-NHL players such as Reggie Leach, Stan Jonathan, Jimmy Neilson and George Armstrong that will play the Winnipeg Jets alumni in a fundraising game at the new facility Jan. 12, declared the arena a marvel and the game a go.
"It's very exciting," Trottier said after arriving in Winnipeg and visiting the MTS Centre for a look-see before scheduled meetings with Mayor Sam Katz, provincial politicians and local aboriginal leaders. "This is my first opportunity to see the MTS Centre and that was the key to be able to lock this thing up and have that as our site.
"I think it's a fantastic facility, we know that this thing is going to gain speed... we're really fortunate we've got this kind of foundation working with us and I think it's going to be benefiting a lot of kids, a lot of youth, and it's going bring a lot of recognition to the city of Winnipeg."
Tickets for the game will be $15 each and are to go on sale as soon as they can be printed following meetings with True North Sports and Entertainment Inc., which runs the arena. But the game is only part of the festivities. Thousands of aboriginal youth from across Manitoba are expected to attend to hear workshops on alcohol abuse, drug abuse and self-esteem.
Those workshops will be conducted by the likes of Leach, a recovered alcoholic, and Trottier, one of the best NHL players of all time and the leader of the New York Islanders' dynasty in the late 1970s. He calls himself a half-breed who grew up in Val Marie, Sask.
The game is tentatively being called Legends and Legacies and will include such former Jets as Dale Hawerchuk, Thomas Steen and Ab McDonald, local film-maker and event organizer Don Marks said. Ulf Nilsson is likely coming too and he'll be joined by Jordy Douglas and other former Jets.
The game will also be a showcase for aboriginal performers, artists and dancers. "When we can make ourselves available to the youth and give our experiences and bring awareness to some of the choices they're making and some of the challenges that we had to get through in order to achieve our success, we know that it's going to benefit them," Trottier said.
Marks, who made the widely acclaimed documentary film They Call Me Chief (which will be shown on the arena's Jumbotron during the day), is the main local organizer. Winnipeg is to be the kickoff point for a series of games he hopes will eventually extend all across Canada, the U.S. and Europe. The Free Press is one of the presenting sponsors.
Added Calvin Pompana, president of the White Buffalo Spiritual Society: "We've been involved in a lot of traditional events like sundances and our indigenous village at The Forks, but this is a hockey game attracting the Winnipeg Jets alumni and also of course these aboriginal players that have been successful in the NHL in the past."
chris.cariou@freepress.mb.ca