麻豆社区

It was quite the weekend.

Yukon鈥檚 hockey community was thrust into the country鈥檚 limelight Sunday afternoon, courtesy of a Rogers Hometown Hockey stop in Whitehorse.

Local hockey stories were broadcast to a national audience during an NHL game between the Calgary Flames and Carolina Hurricanes, with hundreds of fans gathering at Front Street and Steele Street to whoop it up in the shadow of fan-favourite host Ron MacLean.

The former Hockey Night In Canada mainstay told the Star that returning home is always special.

鈥淭he skate at the Hillcrest community rink was an incredible highlight,鈥� he said of the weekend. 鈥淚t just was a very inspirational 48 hours, I must say.鈥�

MacLean鈥檚 visit to his childhood rink included members of the local atom development hockey team, coached by Derek Johnstone 鈥� who played under current Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock with the Red Deer College Kings in 1988.

A pre-game visit to the dressing rooms of both the Whitehorse Huskies and Powell River Regals at Takhini Arena Saturday night was also 鈥渁 real treat,鈥� said MacLean.

Former NHL鈥坰tars Darcy Tucker and Geoff Sanderson were also in town for the weekend.

Tucker, a longtime Toronto Maple Leafs sparkplug, had never before visited the territory, despite playing alongside Yukon hockey 麻豆社区Jarrett Deuling with the Western Hockey League鈥檚 Kamloops Blazers.

鈥淲e played on the same line together for a full season,鈥濃�圱ucker said of Deuling, who was later drafted to the NHL. 鈥淗e was a great captain. I鈥坈ouldn鈥檛 say enough good things about Jarrett, the type of person he was and what he brought to our locker room.鈥�

Tucker and Deuling twice won the Memorial Cup 鈥� junior hockey鈥檚 top prize 鈥� with the Blazers in the early 鈥�90s.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been great,鈥� said Tucker of his Yukon visit. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know what to expect when we took off on the plane, weather-wise, whether it was going to be 40 below, or what have you. But it鈥檚 been outstanding weather and the hospitality鈥檚 been second to none. I鈥檝e enjoyed every moment of being here.鈥�

Meanwhile, Sanderson is a rare Arctic-born hockey star, who grew up as a member of a mining family in Pine Point, N.W.T., but now lives in Calgary with his family.

The 43-year-old told MacLean he was blessed to take in the territory鈥檚 back-road beauty when he celebrated his 40th birthday with a moose hunt on the Blackstone River, northeast of Dawson City.

The half-hour Hometown Hockey segment kicked off with MacLean discussing his Yukon past, name-dropping his former teachers and love for the outdoor rink in Hillcrest spurred by the four-plus years he lived here as a child in the 鈥�60s.

The pre-game show opened with some majestic footage from Fish Lake, where Up North Adventures worked to create an oversized rink, setting the stage for a local minor hockey team to be presented with the Stanley Cup last Wednesday.

MacLean recalled the 2007 Canada Winter Games that took place in the Yukon capital, where a star-studded Team Ontario beat Travis Hamonic-led Team Manitoba 6-4 in the boys hockey final.

Ontario鈥檚 roster at the time included current NHLers Steven Stamkos, Nazem鈥圞adri, Cody Hodgson, Alex Pietrangelo, Adam Henrique and Michael Del Zotto.

The broadcast also featured Yukon Quest legend Frank Turner, who introduced Hometown Hockey co-host Tara Slone to the world of mushing along picturesque portions of the 1,600-kilometre race鈥檚 trail.

Other stories included Calgary Inferno defenceman Brigitte Laquette 鈥� who inspired many during NorthwesTel鈥檚 Learning to Lead hockey camp in Whitehorse last summer 鈥� as well as Arizona Coyotes goalie Mike Smith鈥檚 visit to Watson Lake in August with the NHLPA鈥檚 Goals and Dreams foundation.

The Hurricanes eventually dropped the Flames by a score of 5-2, setting the stage for local Mustangs stars, Bryce Anderson and Maddie Nicholson, to choose their three stars:鈥圚urricanes鈥� Kris Versteeg, Eddie Lack and Flames forward Jiri Hudler.

Anderson, a member of last year鈥檚 Tier 3 B.C. championship-winning Bantam Mustangs team that was honoured prior to Friday night鈥檚 Huskies game, is one of the territory鈥檚 top hockey prospects.

Meanwhile, Nicholson was recently ranked the top player north of Kamloops, B.C., following a U16 northern zone B.C. Cup hockey camp.

Yukon Premier Darrell Pasloski 鈥� who moonlights as a referee 鈥� received a mention, as did the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Festival, and G&P鈥圫teakhouse 鈥� a local establishment MacLean said he visited twice over the weekend.

The free hockey-themed event along the Yukon River included a variety of free events for families both Saturday and Sunday.

The outdoor viewing party capped the weekend Sunday afternoon.

鈥淭hat was a lovely stop,鈥濃�圫lone said to MacLean post-game. 鈥淚t was nice to see this through your lens, the Whitehorse Women鈥檚 Hockey Association, Frank Turner. Just great characters, good stock.鈥�

The show also featured a lengthy interview with local trans hockey player, Chase Blodgett. That story was featured in Monday鈥檚 Star.

Scotiabank also donated $15,000 to Whitehorse minor hockey, the local association confirmed today.