PRE-SEASON MEETING FOR COACHES AND CONVENORS
On November 8th, due to the generosity of our sponsor Tim Hortons and the MLSE, the North York Knights were invited to attend the Toronto Maple Leafs versus Detroit Red Wings game. It was the Hall of Fame game with the recent inductees in attendance. One would think that was special enough… However, these 19 lucky U9 Knights were also there to play during the 1st intermission in front of the sold out crowd! The players received the full NHL treatment First, the players, proudly wearing their Knights House League jerseys, boarded a bus that had been sent to pick up the players. With everyone on board the bus, the Knights were driven into the special underground parking lot and were led with their gear into the dressing room just a few feet from the ice rink. The room had blue and white Tim Hortons jerseys already set out. A table was also set with water, juice, Timbits and hockey cards. Some of the players got their jerseys signed by one of the Leafs Hall of Famers, Darryl Sittler. As well, Lanny McDonald, another former Maple Leafs great walked into the room with his Hall of Fame jacket on and was gracious enough to shake every player’s hand. As the Leafs-Red Wings game started, the U9 convenor and 4 division coaches had the Knights players suited up and lined up by the doors to the ice. When the intermission started, our 19 players hit the ice, faced off and put on a fantastic Knights-style performance in front of a roaring crowd. When that mini-game ended, the group got out of their gear and watched the game from the stands. This was a very special Friday night the players and families won’t soon forget.
A special thanks again to Tim Hortons and MLSE for hosting an amazingly enjoyable and memorable night for the players and their parents.
