TRURO, N.S. – Former NHL hockey players, including Brookfield’s own Lyle Carter, will be featured during this weekend’s Hometown Hockey Tour festival.
Carter, a professional goaltender who played 15 games with the former NHL California Golden Seals during the 1971/72 season, and former NHL’ers Colin White and Jon Sim, both of Pictou County, will be on hand during the weekend festivities at the Truro Civic Square.
”Lots of stuff is planned,” said Alison Grant, business development officer with the Town of Truro, who is co-ordinating the activities. “It’s all family friendly, free activities. So there’s no charge to do any of the activities on site and they are all designed to be for all ages.”
Truro is the fourth stop of the Hometown Hockey Tour, which is hosted by broadcast stars Ron MacLean and Tara Slone.
The two-day festival begins at noon Saturday and runs to 6 p.m. Things pick up again Sunday at 1 p.m. and conclude with a Rogers Hometown Hockey outdoor viewing party featuring the broadcast of an NHL game.
Grant said there will be lots of giveaways, food samples, a chance to win prizes and games to participate in. Autograph sessions with White and Sim will also be held at various periods throughout the two days.
Special displays are being planned at the Colchester Historeum to showcase the contributions Truro has made to the game of hockey. Included in those displays, Grant said, are the significant contributions by African Nova Scotians to hockey history as well as a look back at how Millbrook served as a leader in early stick making.
David Carter of Brookfield, a Nova Scotia Museum curator who calls himself Hockey Holmes, said he will be using 10 sticks from the Hockey Heritage Society in Windsor to explain the development of Mi'kmaw stick-making.
“This tradition is not only found in sticks, but on trophies,” he said. “I'll answer the question, is it a Mi'kmaw-made stick?"
He intends to share information on what characteristics to look for in an interactive talk he is doing at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Historeum.
At 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nevin Jackson will be talking about Truro's black hockey history.
Besides those highlights, Grant said, “the big thing, which would be great to have everybody out to…” is a live, outdoor viewing broadcast of the NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Winnipeg Jets. Pre-game coverage begins at 7:30 p.m., with the drop of the opening puck at 8 p.m. (Atlantic)
The game is to be broadcast on Sportsnet ONE and Sportsnet NOW with a pre-game broadcast by MacLean and Slone, who will continue their commentary during game intermissions.
“So it will be great to have people out for that live viewing and to really show what Truro is all about,” she said.
Conrad, Stewart to pick three stars of the game
TRURO, N.S. – Two local minor hockey players will be part of the Rogers Hometown Hockey live broadcast from the Civic Square on Sunday.
Sarah Conrad, 15, from North River, and Jacob Stewart, 14, of Bible Hill, will join Hometown Hockey co-hosts Ron MacLean and Tara Slone following the Penguins-versus-Jets national game on Sportsnet.
The duo will select the three stars of the game.
Sarah is a forward for the Colchester Cyclones midget AA team, while Jacob plays forward for the Truro Bearcats bantam AA squad.
