ABORIGINAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ASSINIBOIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE FRANCOPHONE DE SAINT-BONIFACE HEADINGLEY REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE LA SALLE & AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE STONEWALL & DISTRICT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE WINNIPEG CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Two-time Olympic team captain and gold medalist Cassie Campbell-Pascall (left) took part in Scotiabank Girls HockeyFest in 2014. The event returns in 2015 during Hockey Manitoba's 100th anniversary celebrations. Photos courtesy of Scotiabank
“The Project 100 weekend is going to be a really busy time with probably over 1,000 participants in total.” In true Manitoba tradition, an outdoor series is another sure-shot way to draw a crowd. Fans can bundle up to cheer on elite young players in feature games from December to early February. These games lead up to a province-wide celebration on Feb. 15, when dozens of communities will host outdoor games simultaneously. “Within the city and throughout rural Manitoba, we hope to have around 50 host sites at various outdoor rinks. In those towns and community centres, they’ll have around three or four games each,” Prystupa says. “In total, we’re hoping that around 4,000 players will take part in that huge celebration day across the province.” The culmination of the centennial season will take place on May 9 at a gala dinner featuring special guests and key speakers. To keep communities informed about milestone events, Hockey Manitoba launched a micro- website at 100.hockeymanitoba.ca. Fans can click on the myTEAMMB tab to create their
own all-time Team Manitoba starting lineup and automatically be entered into the 100th- anniversary sweepstakes. “There are a ton of great prizes. The first grand prize that we’re giving out is a trip to the World Junior Championships for both the two semifinal games and the gold medal game in Toronto, including airfare, tickets, hotel and spending money,” Prystupa says. “Other prizes include the Jets suite and full CCM and Reebok hockey gear to deck you out from head to toe. It’s over $25,000 in value between all of our prizes, and entry is for free.” To share the joy of the sport with budding young players, Hockey Manitoba has also initiated a stick giveaway for the next generation of athletes. “Every five- and six-year-old gets a free Sidney Crosby Reebok stick. They just have to show their proof of registration, print off their voucher and go to Royal Sports to get a free stick,” Prystupa says. “That’s a legacy way to give back and try to increase participation. It ensures that it’s a little bit easier for parents to have their kids in the game.” ■
15 MBiz | November 2014
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