Close to a dozen of the B.C. Hockey League’s most beloved veterans will be in Penticton next weekend for an outdoor spectacle 60 years in the making.
Scott Niedermayer, a four-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, will be among those to suit up in the BCHL’s 2023 Alumni and Friends Game at the city’s new outdoor rink on Jan. 21, the league has announced.
Joining the Hockey Hall of Fame defenceman will be former Vancouver Canucks forward Brendan Morrison and 14-year NHL centre Kyle Turris, who announced his retirement in August 2022 following a two-year stint with the Edmonton Oilers.
The alumni showdown starts at 2:30 p.m. and is in recognition of the BCHL’s 60th-anniversary All-Star Game, which takes place at the same venue later in the day.
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Geoff Courtnall, a key part of the Canucks’ run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1994, as well as former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Garry Valk, have also been announced among the stars to play in the game.
The league says Tyler Johnston, the Coquitlam-born TV star from the hit show Letterkenny, will also lace up the skates and appear at Penticton’s outdoor rink for the gathering.
BCHL alumni Pat Hodgins, Mike Di Stefano, Wade MacLeod, Mark MacMillan, Mitch MacMillan and Bruce Courtnall round out the roster.
“There’s going to be a lot of recognition of our past through the game,” said Steven Cocker, the BCHL’s deputy commissioner. “We’re going to have some of the great athletes who have come through the BCHL and have gone on to major success in hockey.”
Current goaltenders Carter Richardson from the Salmon Arm Silverbacks and the West Kelowna Warriors’ Justin Katz will serve as the game’s two netminders.
The alumni game is free to attend.
Festivities in the area — located next to Penticton’s city hall — include food trucks, beer gardens and music.
“This event is going to be one for the books for the BCHL and a kick-off for bigger and brighter events for the league,” Cocker added.
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