The day West Lorne residents have patiently waited almost six months for is finally here.
The 2023 Kraft Hockeyville winners were out in full force this morning at the Joe Thornton Community Centre to welcome players from the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs as they arrived for morning practice.
myFM’s Tim Smart talked to a Dutton mother taking it all in with her daughter.
Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of area residents gathered at West Lorne Arena to get photos with the Stanley Cup and chat with former NHL’ers Darcy Tucker and Rob Ray.
As part of the Kraft Hockeyville 2023 grand prize, West Lorne received $250,000 to help with arena renovations.
At the celebrations Tuesday afternoon in Miller Park, Jessica Small, co-chair of the local organizing committee, told myFM the next steps in the arena upgrades.
The Municipality of West Elgin is contributing $150,000 to help with the arena project.
West Lorne was crowned 2023 Hockeyville on April 1, beating out competitors from Saint-Anselme, Quebec; Maple Ridge, B.C.; and Ste. Anne, Manitoba.
As Small explains, the Stanley Cup got the tour of West Elgin before it was carefully put on display at Miller Park.
Although he did not have tickets to Wednesday night’s preseason game, one St. Thomas resident was thrilled just to be at the Joe Thornton Community Centre for the morning practice.
He was there to cheer on his favourite team, and it wasn’t who you think.
Bus loads of school kids from West Lorne and Dutton were on hand Wednesday morning to greet the players. All part of the grand prize for West Lorne residents.
For West Lorne resident Alice Ouellette, this will be her first live hockey game.
11-year-old West Lorne goalie James disagreed, picking Toronto as the winner at the final buzzer.
A Rodney mother was in full agreement.
Maple Leafs General Manager Brad Treliving noted, “We’re very much looking forward to participating in Kraft Hockeyville to give back to so many fans who have helped make this game what it is today.”
Adding that “Kraft Hockeyville provides us an exciting opportunity to bring the Maple Leafs closer to fans in smaller communities, who might not otherwise have the chance to see the team up close.”
