Beginning in October, the travelling festival of music, alumni and hockey-themed activities will begin its 25-stop tour across Canada. The fifth season of Hometown Hockey will begin in Kitchener, ON., for an Original Six meeting between Chicago and Toronto, before making its way across the nation for weekly Sunday night Sportsnet broadcasts.
The 25 showings will be broken down as follows: 9 dates in Ontario, 5 in Alberta, 4 in British Columbia, 3 in the Maritimes, 2 in Manitoba, and 1 each in Quebec and Saskatchewan.
The two-day events feature live broadcasts of the Sunday evening game on CBC/Sportsnet, including a pregame, intermission and postgame show, and a viewing party hosted by Red Deer, Alberta’s Ron MacLean and Halifax, Nova Scotia’s Tara Slone live on national television.
Hometown Hockey will stop in Winkler from March 2nd to 3rd, before landing in Steinbach the following week, on March 9th-10th. The Winnipeg Jets will do battle with the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 3rd, before taking on the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals on March 10th. Feature stories showcasing the culture and hockey heritage of both Winkler and Steinbach will be put fully on display throughout the early March Sunday broadcasts.
