Hockey has heart

BY NADINE ARMSTRONG

The Hants Journal

NovaNewsNow.com



Maritimers are no strangers to the great game of hockey. With the sports birthplace right here in Windsor, Nova Scotia, winters are synonymous with pond games, ice-cold rinks and early morning practices.

However, there is usually a limit, when the time bell rings and players head to the dressing room. Not so for one upcoming event.

The sport that has skated its way into our collective hearts for decades will give back to the community next week in what will be one very long and memorable hockey game. Jan. 9 players from around the region will lace up for the Long Game Classic, a 24-hour charity marathon game where everyone is a winner.

Organizer Ken McCormick hopes to fill the Newport and District Rink in Brooklyn with hundreds of hockey fans that day to cheer on the players and add to the already hefty coffers.

So far, McCormick said they have raised upwards of $27,000 for this year’s charities of choice: Feed Nova Scotia; Dartmouth East Boys and Girls club; the Windsor Trust Fund; and Hockey Atlantic. By the end of the game, he said, they hope to turn over $30-35,000 in total.

“It all depends on what we get at the door,” he said. And there is plenty of incentive beyond the game itself. Premier Rodney MacDonald will be on hand to drop the puck. There will be a Saturn Shoot for a car and K-Rock will be there with prizes along with other door prizes. As well, there will be a West Hants Tim Bits short game and Pee Wee Skills competition.

The Windsor Elementary School will sing “O’ Canada” and there will be a Junior High “Battle of the Bands in the Stands” during the event.

“We strongly encourage spectators,” McCormick said. “It’s fun for the whole family. We’re hoping for a very good turnout.” A limited number of Sidney Crosby signed jerseys will also be on sale during the event.

First game in 2002

The first Long Game was played in Windsor in 2002. That event raised over $30,000 and broke the Guinness World record for longest hockey game played.

The site chosen for the inaugural event was Long Pond. Because of Guinness World Record restraints, however, the game was moved to the Hants County Arena in Windsor. This year, the event will honor Howard Dill, who was a hockey enthusiast and instrumental in bringing the event to Windsor.

The Long Game website pays tribute to Dill saying, “When Mr. Dill was approached years ago with very rough estimates and very vague ideas to the possibility of using his property for a 30-hour charity hockey game, he was very much excited for the event and its charities and unselfishly was willing to allow us access to his pond. Mr. Dill was so anxious to help out that he was planning to build some benches for the players.”

West Hants was chosen again for this year’s Long Game based on the 2002 success. “Windsor is the Birthplace of Hockey, so it just makes sense.” McCormick said. “And the area has been very good to us.

“We have a lot of specific needs and a lot of companies have come forward,” he noted. This includes the local Tim Hortons, who will keep the players fed. “They have treated us like kings.”

As well, he noted, the Windsor Recreation Department has had a hand in the planning, and staff at the Newport and District Rink have been very supportive in making the event a reality. “Wayne Lunn from the rink has just been absolutely fabulous.”

This time around, McCormick said, they are not out to break any records, but do plan to have a lot of fun and give fans some of the best hockey possible. “There is definitely going to be a lot of skill out there on the ice.”

Will last 24 hours

Most of those involved are already seasoned players, including a handful of Junior A players and veterans like Mike Kelly, who played for the Philadelphia Flyers.

“When you see him on the ice, it's just amazing,” McCormick said. He estimates there will be about 55 20-minute stop-time periods in all and the players’ only rest time will be when the ice is cleared. “It's a real, true hockey game; just one that lasts 24 hours.”

In preparation, team members have spent the past year getting in shape and raising money. “Our guys have been fundraising night and day,” McCormick said. Each member has been required to raise $500 in sponsors for the event.

McCormick has played previous Long Game events and says there is not much you can do to prepare other than be in shape, but there are some criteria laid out for potential team members.

First, they have to be decent hockey players and be sponsored by a company that wants to make a difference. He added, as well, there needs to be someone who won’t get too cranky on the ice at 3 a.m.

McCormick said team selection would be based on a fair mix. The catch is, however, players will be left in the dark up to the last day. “They don’t know which team they will be playing on,” he said. “We could have brothers playing against brothers.

“We want to give everyone a good game to watch and a team to root for, and we want it to be close.” In the end, however, he said it isn't about the team that scores the most goals, it's about giving back.

Sadly, this may be the last Long Game Classic. McCormick plans to hang up his skates after the Jan. 9-10 event. “This will be the last one for us. I just hope some young people try and take up the tradition; it's a great cause.”

The puck drop will take place at 10 a.m., Jan. 9, and entrance to the event is a freewill offering or non-perishable food item.