Rogers Hometown Hockey arrives Friday, kick starting what is expected be a jam-packed weekend featuring Canada’s favorite winter pastime.
It all kicks off at Credit Union Place with the official puck drop by Tara Slone and Doug MacLean at Friday night’s Summerside Western Capitals game against the Truro Bearcats at 7.
On Saturday, from 12 to 6 p.m., and Sunday, 1 to 11 p.m., the public is invited to visit the Rogers Hometown Hockey event site downtown at the marine terminal.
The free weekend-long event will feature activities and contests from the Scotiabank Community Locker Room. Also, the public will have the change to meet National Hockey League alumni Errol Thompson and Rick Vaive, warm up in the Warming Lodge and have some fun with the Playmobile Hockey Collection.
Visitors can stop by the SportsNet Broadcast Booth to record their own broadcast, which they can send to their email account.
Other activities include the Rogers Share Everything Zone; the flaming hockey stick juggler; giveaways; and entertainment by Paper Lions, Johnny Oliver, Nathan Wiley and the West End Blues Band.
Across from the Rogers Hometown Hockey site the Summerside Boys and Girls Club is hosting a two-day ball hockey tournament in the Murphy’s Pharmacy parking lot.
Youngsters will be playing from 12 to 6 p.m. on Saturday and there will be a community game Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. where kids aged four to 12 will team up with the Maritime Hockey League’s Summerside Western Capitals to face off in a head-to -head matchup against the Community All Star Team.
A meet and greet will follow with autograph signing from 3 to 5 p.m.
Indoors, there’s plenty of minor hockey action as the Summerside and Area Minor Hockey Association hosts its novice A Female hockey tournament at Credit Union Place on Saturday, from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
On Sunday, at 1:40 p.m., there is a VIP alumni hockey game at Credit Union Place.
The public is invited to cheer on two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Heather Moyse, Sunday at 6 p.m. Sunday as she is interviewed for SportsNet’s evening broadcast.
The grand finale event will include Ron MacLean doing his live SportsNet broadcast from the waterfront during Sunday night’s National Hockey League game, which features the Vancouver Canucks versus the Chicago Blackhawks.
Some of the events
Saturday
— 12 p.m. — Scotiabank Tent — Autograph signing with Rick Vaive
— 12:15 p.m. — Main Stage — Music by Johnny Oliver
— 12:45 p.m. — Main Stage — McDonald’s Trivia Challenge
— 1 p.m. — Main Stage — Playmobil Puck Stack
— 1:45 p.m. — Rogers Tent — Autograph signing with Errol Thompson
— 2:30 p.m. — The Hockey Circus Show
— 3 p.m. — Rogers Tent — Autograph signing with Doug MacLean
— 5:15 p.m. — Pre-tape for Sportsnet Central and Hockey Night in Canada
Sunday
— 1:15 p.m. — Main Stage — Music with West End Blues
— 2 p.m. — The Hockey Circus Show
— 2:15 p.m. — Rogers Tent — Autograph signing with Errol Thompson and Shayne Corson
— 3:30 p.m. — Main Stage — Scotiabank Hotstove with Rick Vaive, Errol Thompson and Shayne Corson
— 4 p.m. — The Lodge — Meet and greet with Heather Moyse
— 7:30 p.m. — Main Stage — Rogers Hometown Hockey pre-game sow with Ron MacLean
