By Pat Payton
The St. Marys Lincolns’ Alumni roster for their game against the Montreal Canadiens’ Alumni team is quickly filling up.
The much-anticipated game will be held Friday, Mar. 22 at the PRC. It’s being billed as ‘A Celebration of Hockey: Two Storied Franchises. One Night to Remember.’
The game will consist of three, 15-minute periods.
Three goalies are still needed for the Lincs’ roster, and there are also three coaching positions available behind the St. Marys bench. Former Lincolns’ Jacques Cousineau and Mike Bannerman have already agreed to be Lincs’ coaches. Former Lincolns’ Walter Tkaczuk and Wally Parkinson will serve as coaches behind the Canadiens’ bench.
Some former Lincolns who recently signed up to play in the game include: Spencer Meany, Barry Johnson, Scott Graham, Mark Robson, Steph Audet, Dan Schiedel, Kevin Wydeven, Drew Williams and Greg Houben.
For more information about playing in the game, contact Ed Parkinson at 519-284-0587.
General admission tickets are $25, while V.I.P. tickets are $75. In St. Marys, tickets can be purchased at: Dunny’s Source for Sports, O’Grady’s Clothing, the Independent newspaper, from any Lincolns’ executive member, or at Guest Services at the PRC. Tickets will also be available at the door the night of the game.
On Mar. 22, V.I.P. ticket holders will be involved in a ‘Meet and Greet’ with the Montreal Alumni players from 5 to 6 p.m. After warm-ups and player announcements, a ceremonial puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. Following the game, there will be a silent auction and live auction in the community centre.
The Canadiens’ roster for the game will be announced one month before Mar. 22.
Silent auction items
The following are some of the silent auction items that will be available on Mar. 22.
An autographed Carey Price Montreal Canadiens jersey, NHL All-Star jersey, Toronto Maple Leafs tickets, Detroit Red Wings tickets, Bottle of Chateau-du-pape, and a series of framed NHL prints.
Canadiens Alumni tour started about 40 years ago
The Canadiens Alumni tour started about 40 years ago, with Maurice (Rocket) Richard and his brother Henri playing games with local French-Canadian musicians.
After some time, other players joined them and they played games all around Quebec. After playing a game, the artists would jump on stage and do a concert. It eventually evolved into a hockey tour across Canada and eventually into the United States. The Canadiens Alumni team has attracted crowds of up to 19,000 spectators for a single game.
“We have even played Alumni games in Russia,” Brian DaSilva, Sports Coordinator with Canadiens Alumni, told the Independent. “We raise close to $1 million each year (for charities) with the Canadiens Alumni tour where we play 40 to 50 games.”
