Hometown Hockey is Aurora-bound

August 22, 2018 · 0 Comments

By Jake Courtepatte

Now in its fifth season, the puck finally drops in Aurora this year for Rogers Hometown Hockey.
The broadcasting giant will make its stop on December 8 – 9, one of twenty-five communities across Canada to host the massive two-day festival.
“We are absolutely thrilled to be hosting Rogers Hometown Hockey right here in Aurora,” says Mayor Geoffrey Dawe. “Our community is a true sports town and hockey has always been a part of our heritage and culture. We are excited to welcome Canadian hockey fans into our community and to showcase the wonderful people and history that make our town so special.”
Live on location, Ron MacLean and Tara Slone will host a pre-game, intermission and post-game show from the Sportsnet Mobile Studio, shining the spotlight on local culture, hockey history and unique stories of the community.
Tenth on the tour, the stop in Aurora will be the first of the season to host a broadcast matchup doubleheader on the Sunday, beginning with the Montreal Canadiens at the Chicago Blackhawks at 5:30 p.m. before a showing of the Calgary Flames at the Edmonton Oilers at 9 p.m.
Yet the local flavour of the OJHL is sure to be the ultimate hockey draw for the Aurora community on the Saturday, when the Junior A Tigers host the Newmarket Hurricanes, a longtime rivalry known as “The Battle of Yonge Street”.
The puck drops on the game at the Aurora Community Centre at 7:30 p.m. on the Saturday.
Aurora’s rich hockey culture will be on display on the weekly Sunday broadcast of the Hometown Hockey series, which is shown nationally on Sportsnet.
“If you have ever watched Hometown Hockey, you know what an exciting event it is,” says Dawe. “It’s all going to be right here. We have a fabulous opportunity in front of us to showcase not only the Town of Aurora, but all of our talent.”
“We’ve got great talent here, there is going to be so much fun, so many games, so many activities. You have to come out.”
More information on the event can be found at www.aurora.ca/hometownhockey.
Premiering on October 5 in Kitchener, the Hometown Hockey bus will make visits across Canada during the NHL season before ending in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan at the end of March.