CBC's Hockey Day coming to Stratford

Mark your calendars, Stratford hockey fans! As announced Tuesday evening during Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final, Tim Hortons Hockey Day in Canada will be coming to Stratford for its 10th annual broadcast on Saturday, Jan. 30.

Host Ron MacLean will be front and centre at Allman Arena for the 13-and-a-half-hour broadcast, paying tribute to Canada’s great frozen game, alongside the legendary Don Cherry.

Headlining the wall-to-wall hockey celebration is the traditional big-ticket all-Canadian NHL tripleheader. The day will also be available live and on-demand at CBCSports.ca.

“Stratford will provide a beautiful backdrop for our 10th edition of Tim Hortons Hockey Day in Canada,” said Joel Darling, director of production for CBC Sports. “Stratford’s history of hockey and their vibrant community will help celebrate what has become a Canadian tradition over the past decade.”

“We could not be prouder,” said Mayor Dan Mathieson, who co-chaired the Stratford organizing committee. “Tim Hortons Hockey Day in Canada has become such a great Canadian tradition and to be chosen as the host community is such an honour and privilege. It builds on our world-class reputation for theatre and enables us to showcase all the elements of our community that make it such a great place to live.”

Stratford is well known for its rich hockey history. Chris Pronger, Ed Olczyk and Rob Blake got their start playing for the  the Stratford Cullitons, and the legendary Howie Morenz (known as the Stratford Streak) also suited up in Stratford before  climbing the NHL ranks.

Stratford born Tim Taylor also donned a Cullitons’ jersey before going on to play more than a decade in the NHL, winning a Stanley Cup with Detroit Red Wings in 1997 and another with Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004.

Taylor co-chaired the Stratford organizing committee in charge of the city’s bid to land Hockey Day.

“Playing in the NHL you saw every day the impact and influence that small towns have on the greatest game in the world,” Taylor says. “It’s just great that Stratford has been chosen because it is places like this where the game’s roots are deepest.”

An interlocking Jr. B game at the Allman between the Cullitons and St. Marys Lincolns is also tentatively in the day’s plans.

Throughout the Hockey Day broadcast, NHL alumni will make guest appearances in the various communities across the country. Leading up to the game, there will be a week of festivities planned in the city, including an NHL alumni game.

More details on the events and players will be announced in the coming months.