Broadcaster And Former Nhl Coach Doug Maclean Coming To Pei For 22nd Annual Irving Oil Challenge Cup
MONTAGUE, PE — Doug MacLean, former NHL coach and TV/Radio personality, will come home to Prince Edward Island later this month to celebrate the 22nd Annual Irving Oil Challenge Cup. This will be the second year in a row that MacLean has supported the Challenge Cup, which is the largest Bantam AAA Hockey tournament in Atlantic Canada.
With the Challenge Cup hosted in Montague from March 21-24 at the Cavendish Farms Wellness Centre, MacLean will be in town Saturday, March 23 to be the keynote speaker at the Challenge Cup Awards Banquet.
A native of Summerside, PEI, MacLean has played and coached minor league and university league hockey throughout Atlantic Canada, Quebec and Ontario before being called up as a coach in the NHL. With 20 years’ experience in the NHL, he coached the Florida Panthers to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1995-96, and was recognized as Hockey News’ Coach of the Year and as a Jack Adams Award Finalist that same season. From 1998-2007, MacLean was both President and General Manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets. MacLean is currently a notable TV and radio host for Rogers Sportsnet and the Fan 590.
“For hockey fans, this tournament showcases many of the best players in the country for this age group. I’m very proud to be involved in this great tournament,” said MacLean. “These are extremely talented players and for many of them, this is the tournament of a lifetime.”
As the Challenge Cup host community, the town of Montague will be rolling out the welcome mat. “Hundreds of players and their families will be arriving from across Atlantic Canada,” said Ron Annear, Irving Oil Challenge Cup Organizing Committee Chair. “What they will find when they get here is unparalleled community spirit and hospitality – it’s what Islanders do best.”
Meanwhile, Bantam AAA teams in New Brunswick continue to vie for the Provincial Champion title, while other Atlantic teams have already been decided: 2012 Challenge Cup Champions, the Halifax Irving Oil ACCEL Hawks, will return to represent Nova Scotia. The host team, the Kings County Irving Oil Kings, will be joined by the Mid-Isle Irving Oil Matrix to represent Prince Edward Island. Representing Newfoundland and Labrador will be the St. John’s Irving Oil Ice Breakers.
Irving Oil has supported the Atlantic Canadian Bantam AAA Hockey league on an annual basis for more than 20 years, supporting over 23,000 young athletes in communities across the region.
For more information and interviews, contact:
Sam Robinson, Irving Oil
(506) 650-4947
[email protected]