Délı̨nę will host an outdoor “winter classic” on Great Bear Lake in March to mark the 200th anniversary of the Sahtu community’s claim as hockey’s birthplace.
British naval officer Sir John Franklin and members of his expedition kept letters and journals during the winter of 1825 in which they described playing “hockey on the ice” on the lake.
Now, the community is preparing to welcome a lineup of big-name NHL alumni for the weekend of March 19-22 that will feature a gala dinner in Yellowknife and an all-star game in Délı̨nę.
Details appeared on the Délı̨nę Got’ı̨nę Government’s Facebook page earlier this week. Sponsorship opportunities are being sold for as much as a quarter of a million dollars.
Former NHL stars who organizers say are confirmed to attend include the likes of Eric Lindros, Ray Bourque, Doug Gilmour, Wendel Clark, Patrick Marleau and Ryan Getzlaf, alongside brothers Dave and Wayne Babych.
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Cal Babych, Dave’s son and an organizer of the event, told Cabin Radio more athletes should be confirmed in the next few days.
“Our target right now is to find two or three younger guys that retired more recently, more like in the Getzlaf and Marleau era,” he said on Thursday.
The event will be accompanied by live music, a $30,000 fishing derby and Ski-Doo raffle, a $15,000 bingo and casino night, and a community breakfast and dinner.
“Wayne’s older than me, so he’s probably in the same vintage as Sir John Franklin,” Dave Babych told Mornings at the Cabin. “He probably played with him.”
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Dave and Cal said Ɂekw’ahtı̨dǝ́ Danny Gaudet, leader of the Délı̨nę Got’ı̨nę Government, had been working on a game like this for years.
“Previously he brought up the Canucks and the Flames alumni to do a game, and my dad was part of that. That’s how they got introduced,” said Cal.
“The idea was there and the vision was there, but we needed a team to execute … it’s coming together in an amazing way, and that’s really coming from Chief Danny.”
“This has been dear to him and the community for a few years now,” said Dave. “A lot of people talk about things. Danny really makes things happen and he’s so proud that this is happening for his community.”
Not all hockey historians are prepared to go along with Délı̨nę’s assertion that hockey was born on Great Bear Lake, but that claim endures and the community has long made clear it doesn’t care what others might say.
Cal said he was excited to be “bringing it back to the roots and everything that Sir John Franklin outlined in his journals and the entries that were documented, really tying Délı̨nę to that birthplace.”
“The gala in Yellowknife is going to be incredible,” he added.
“I think we have all of our players, musicians, some celebrity chefs coming out, and it’ll be a great way to get the community together around the birthplace of hockey for the 200th anniversary.”
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A website with more details is expected to go live soon.
“To play outside in a setting like this,” said Dave of Great Bear Lake, “there’s nothing better than that. Doesn’t matter how old you are.”
Scott Letkeman contributed reporting.
