Hockey night in Vaughan

Jan. 12, 2020 10:00 p.m.
​Vaughan Metropolitan Centre transformed for Rogers Hometown Hockey

The best game you can name was broadcasted live from the heart of the city this evening. As an official stop on the Rogers Hometown Hockey 2019-20 Tour, the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC) was transformed into a hockey lover’s dream for a weekend-long fan experience, including a broadcast of tonight’s Toronto Maple Leafs versus Florida Panthers game.
 
The City of Vaughan hosted the two-day hockey festival this past weekend in partnership with the City of Vaughan Hockey Association and SmartVMC by SmartCentres. The community received a visit from The Stanley Cup, a Sportsnet hockey game broadcast and viewing party, live entertainment and performances, meet-and-greets with NHL alumni – including Darcy Tucker, Curtis Joseph, Shayne Corson – women’s professional hockey players Laura Stacey and Jamie Lee Rattray, and hockey-themed outdoor activities for all ages.
 
To kick-off off Sunday’s celebrations, Rogers Hometown Hockey’s Parade of Champions was broadcasted live, with thousands of smiling faces from local sporting organizations, community groups, businesses and members of the community. Mayor Bevilacqua and Members of Council also participated in the 203-team parade – the largest to-date in Rogers Hometown Hockey history – which led the crowd into the VMC grounds.
 
Leading up to the festival in the VMC, a variety of celebratory community events took place. These include a flag raising at Vaughan City Hall with NHL alumni Nik Antropov, a puck drop at a Toronto Marlies game, the 2019 Vaughan Santafest parade, the City’s 40-foot tree lighting ceremony, several Vaughan Public Libraries book readings, a “Fill the Net” school competition, a “Paint the City Red” engagement campaign with local businesses, a community art face-off challenge and local minor hockey events, including a banner ceremony and puck drop with Mayor Bevilacqua, Members of Council and Tara Slone. The spirit of hockey was felt all around the city.
 
QUOTE
 
“Rogers Hometown Hockey is a national celebration of Canada’s beloved sport. As a diverse city that is home to where 105 different languages are spoken, we were proud to demonstrate our united pride and passion for hockey, and highlight the remarkable athletic talent produced right here in Vaughan. In our city, hockey is more than just a favourite pastime – it is a tradition for fans of all ages and has become a distinct part of our community’s culture. This was evident this past weekend as the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre came to life for the two-day ultimate fan festival. Vaughan’s downtown core truly became the heart of the city tonight, hosting crowds of thousands who travelled from near and far to stand together to enjoy the game. I am grateful to Ron MacLean and Tara Slone for joining us and to Rogers Hometown Hockey for choosing Vaughan as one of 25 host cities for its 2019-20 Tour, and providing the opportunity to showcase our city and citizens to the rest of the country.”
- Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua 
 
QUICK FACTS
  • The City of Vaughan was chosen as one of 25 municipalities to host the Rogers Hometown Hockey 2019-20 Tour.
  • Weekend-long celebrations included a two-day hockey fan festival in the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, meet-and-greets with NHL alumni and photo opportunities with the Stanley Cup.
  • Sportsnet hosts, Ron MacLean and Tara Slone, broadcasted live from the Sportsnet Mobile Studio on-site at the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020.
  • More than 203 local sporting organizations, community groups and business participated in the Parade of Champions; the largest parade hosted to-date in Rogers Hometown Hockey history.

 LEARN MORE  

  • City of Vaughan’s Rogers Hometown Hockey webpage
  • City of Vaughan’s events webpage
  • City of Vaughan’s Rogers Hometown Hockey flag-raising event news release
  • Rogers Hometown Hockey homepage
 
-30-
 
 
Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua and Members of Council with Sportsnet hosts Ron MacLean and Tara Slone.
 
Former Toronto Maple Leafs Darcy Tucker with members from the Vaughan Rangers hockey team.
 
The Rogers Hometown Hockey 2019-20 Tour stop in Vaughan was hosted at Transit Square in the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre. 
 
The community gathered in the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre for Sportsnet’s live broadcast of the Toronto Maple Leafs vs Florida Panthers hockey game.
 
The Parade of Champions featured 203 teams from Vaughan’s sports community - the largest Rogers Hometown Hockey parade to date.
All News