HOCKEY FEVER is north of DA UP EEHH !!
There‘s an epidemic of hockey fever in Northwestern Ontario, and the only cure is to become part of the excitement.
From Thunder Bay to the Manitoba border, in particular, hockey fans will be glued to their televisions tonight for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final.
In Thunder Bay and Fort Frances they‘ll be cheering on Chicago Blackhawks‘ Patrick Sharp and Duncan Keith, while Dryden, Kenora and Sioux Lookout residents will be putting their faith in Philadelphia Flyers Chris Pronger, Mike Richards and Ryan Parent to send the series back to Chicago for Game 7.
In Dryden, Flyer Fever Day has been declared by fans and everyone is encouraged to wear orange today in support of the Northwest Flyers threesome.
The city is hosting the game this evening on a huge television screen at Dryden Memorial Arena. Doors open at 6 p.m. and admission is free. Food and refreshment vendors will be on-site.
Chicago took a 3-2 lead in the Stanley Cup best-of-seven NHL final series on Sunday night, beating Philadelphia 7-4.
Chicago can capture the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1961 with a victory tonight in Philadelphia. A Flyers win would send the series back to Chicago for a decisive Game 7 on Friday night. All five wins in the series have come on home ice.
In Kenora, downtown storefronts have been adorned in orange with signs urging on the Flyers, including one that says, “Bring the Cup home after 103 years,” referring to the Kenora Thistles‘ Stanley Cup victory in 1907.
Flyers fans there, too, are urged to wear orange and gather tonight at the Kenora recreation centre to watch the game. Doors open 6 p.m. and general admission is $5. There‘s no charge fo kids five and under.
Admission fees will pay for the giant TV screen set up in the arena. Any money over and above that cost will be donated in Richards‘ name to Lake of the Woods Community Foundation, an arena spokesman said Tuesday.
As for friendly wagers that accompany any championship, Kenora Mayor Len Compton and Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz are backing their representatives of the Flyers (Richards) and Blackhawks (Jonathan Toews). They have agreed if the Blackhawks defeat Philadelphia, Compton will host Katz for a weekend of fishing at Kenora‘s Lake of the Woods; if the Flyers win, Katz will treat Compton to a couple of days of angling on Lake Winnipeg.
Meanwhile, in Fort Frances, a local Facebook group is hoping that Keith brings the Stanley Cup home.
The group, If Duncan Keith Wins The Cup, Bring It To Fort Frances, had 521 members as of Tuesday.
Born in Winnipeg, the Blackhawks‘ defenceman got his start in minor hockey in Fort Frances before moving to Penticton, B.C.
Each player on the winning team gets a day with the trophy.
As for any cross-region rivalry, it isn‘t known if Thunder Bay Mayor Lynn Peterson and Dryden Mayor Anne Krassilowsky have any bets going.
In 2006, Peterson won her bet with Krassilowsky, who had promised the Thunder Bay mayor a basket of “moose goodies” if the Carolina Hurricanes Eric Staal beat Pronger‘s Edmonton Oilers.
While nothing is formally planned for today in Sioux Lookout, Parent fans will be glued to their televisions like others in the Northwest to await the outcome of Game 6 and the end result – hockey euphoria or the sting of defeat.
