Rosters have been unveiled and tickets are still available for the game between the Montreal Canadiens Alumni and Cowichan Valley Capitals Alumni teams at the Cowichan Arena on Sunday, Jan. 26.
The event is a fundraiser for the Canadian Mental Health Association - Cowichan Valley Branch, which provides a multitude of services throughout the region.
“Our goal is to provide an entertaining afternoon of hockey and to bring the community together to raise funds to support mental health programs in the Cowichan Valley,” said CMHA - CVB spokesperson Anne Marie Thornton.
Stanley Cup winners Richard Sévigny, Oleg Petrov, Keith Acton, Mathieu Dandenault, Jesse Belanger and Patrice Brisebois will be joined on the Canadiens Alumni roster by Pierre Dagenais, Mike Weaver, Jocelyn Lemieux and Marc-André Bergeron. The team will be coached by Hockey Hall of Famer and five-time Stanley Cup champion Steve Shutt.
The Capitals Alumni team will feature players from the ’80s, ’90s and ’00s, including Doug Thornton, Jason Wright, Tod LeSergent, Brent Currie, Dave Mills, Kelly Reynolds, Pat Stachniak, Myles Palliser, Jay Hamel, Jeff Jubenville, Matt Ellison, Joe Pereira, Colin Guiget, Aaron Plumb, Steve Kordyban, Andrew Wong, Cameron Knox, Scott Kelly and Ryan Wilton, and current assistant coach Dan Whiteford. Greg Adams and Darren Rodney will be behind the bench.
Doors will open at 1 p.m., pre-game activities will begin at 1:30 p.m. and the puck will drop at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 per person.
Among its approximately 30 programs, the CMHA - CVB works on the front lines with persons experiencing homelessness and struggling with substance use. Youth programs include BikeWorks/Artworks Youth Program, and the new Open Door Youth Services Centre and a mobile Youth Outreach Team. It also provides grief counselling for children experiencing loss, a sexual abuse intervention program, and BounceBack programs for both adults and for youth that are experiencing anxiety or moderate depression. CMHA-CVB also partners with Malahat First Nation to co-lead girls, boys and youth groups.
