The Tour's visit to Melville coincided with the Millionaires' home opener in their brand new arena--the Horizon Credit Union Centre. The day was a nail biter for the team's president, Dawn Melnychuk. Would the new building pass all the inspections necessary so that the game could go ahead?
The team finally received a "thumbs up" for the game at noon but the facility will not be complete for another month or so. The convention centre and parts of the arena are still under construction and aren't open to the public as yet.
One of the most popular features of the building promises to be the rubberized walking track which circles the rink and seating area. The rubberized walking track is part of the Cardiac Care Centre which will have a full-time nurse on duty. The Cardiac Care Centre is going to partner with the University of Regina to moniter the success of the Centre's programs.
The entire facility is very much a community project and the arena was packed for the game. The excitement was palpable. The Millionaires were introduced one by one and each player skated onto the rink between two giant "sparklers". The intros and light show were followed by fireworks at centre ice. As the smoke cleared the official ceremonies featured the president of the SJHL, Bill Chow; sporting legend Kid Dynamite, Gerry James; Mayor Walter Streelowsky and Millionaires President, Dawn Melnychuk. The speeches were brief and shortly the announcer pronounced: Welcome to your new home. GAME ON!
From Saskatchewan the tour shifts to Hamilton, Ontario with a "Signing at the Hall" from 4 - 6pm at the Canadian Football Hall of Fame on October 7. The Tour will also be guests at the Hamilton Tiger Cat game in the evening thanks to Scott Mitchell, owner of the team.The next morning, on September 8, the Author and the Kid will attend a statisticians meeting, also at the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. This meeting will be open to the public so everyone is welcome. Later in the day there will be a book signing in the concourse before the Hamilton Bulldogs' game against Rochester. The final event scheduled for Hamilton will be in the Hockey Hall of Fame on October 11 at 6pm where Gerry and Ron will talk to a meeting of the Society for International Hockey Research. Once again this meeting will be open to the public. Hope to see you in Ontario.
No comments:
Post a Comment