Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada celebrates Canada's favourite sport with some of Hockey's favourite players

TORONTO, Feb. 3 /CNW/ - Canadians of all ages are invited to celebrate Canada's hockey birthday on February 12th, 2011, by participating in Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada on CBC, and show their passion for the game. 

Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada is a full day of hockey featuring a triple header of all six Canadian NHL teams broadcast on CBC, kicking off at 12 noon along with festivities in parts of the country being celebrated with some of hockey's favourite faces.

"As Canada's Hockey Bank, we are proud to invite Canadians from coast to coast to coast to participate in the festivities in Scotiabank branches," said Duncan Hannay, Scotiabank Senior Vice-President Marketing. "Our customers and employees are hockey moms and dads, coaches, players and fans. Celebrating Canada's hockey birthday is our way of giving our communities one more way to have some fun and be involved in this great sport."

Hosted from Whitehorse, Yukon, well-known CBC media personalities, NHL Alumni and members of the Western Hockey League (WHL) will converge to celebrate the game. The theme for the 11^th edition of Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada is trailblazers, showcasing how hockey fosters leadership, exploration and innovation. 

"It's very exciting to play hockey in Whitehorse and to have the entire country take part in the celebrations," said NHL Alumnus Trevor Linden, who will be coaching hockey in Whitehorse, Yukon, with Cassie Campbell, Lanny McDonald, Danielle Goyette, and other men and women hockey alumni. "On February 12^th, I encourage all Canadians to take part in Canada's hockey birthday by watching a game, playing a game or even learning how to skate - and have some fun!"

From the travelling teams in rural areas in Canada's north, to the thousands of urban weekend warriors who drive across town for a weekly pick-up game, Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada will chronicle the hockey journey that gives shape to life in Canada. In Whitehorse, throughout the week leading up to February 12^th, Scotiabank will be offering family skates, youth skills clinics, and shinny games to get the celebration started.

In Regina, Saskatchewan, the Scotiabank Prairie Pond Hockey Classic on Wascana Lake will see more than 200 participants play hockey in its truest form on the frozen waters of Wascana Lake throughout the weekend, and in Oakville, 300 girls from the Oakville Hornets Girls Hockey Association will experience a full day of Scotiabank Girls HockeyFest coached by 2010 winter Olympic gold medalist Tessa Bonhomme and Canadian women's hockey legend, Vicky Sunohara.

The Petitcodiac-Salisbury Bantam "A" Flyers, a minor hockey team of 17 boys and one girl, all 13 and 14 years of age, recently learned they won the opportunity to travel to Whitehorse to participate in Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada, to meet NHL Alumni and lace up their skates to face-off against a local minor hockey team from the Yukon. The team had entered the Scotiabank BIG SAVE contest, and was encouraged to make a pledge to save money toward a team goal. Throughout the 2010-2011 hockey season, the goal of the Flyers was to save for a trip to Toronto to participate in a hockey tournament.

"Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada is truly an experience for people of all ages," said Cassie Campbell, who will be assisting with Scotiabank Girls HockeyFest in Whitehorse with former Olympians and teammates Danielle Goyette and Kelly Bechard.  "With programs like Girls HockeyFest in Whitehorse and Oakville, or games between minor hockey teams, we're helping show what young athletes are capable of with the right training and encouragement."

As the Official Bank of the NHL®, NHLPA®, NHL Alumni™ and the CWHL, Scotiabank is very proud to be Canada's Hockey Bank. Scotiabank has a long tradition of supporting hockey in Canada from local teams and minor hockey associations to professional players and leagues. Through its partnerships, Scotiabank's hockey programs enrich the communities where Canadians live and work by engaging fans and players in new ways to celebrate our game. Scotiabank supports the passion and pride Canadians feel for hockey and believes it is fundamental to helping young people learn about teamwork, camaraderie and the spirit of competition. Scotiabank's partnership with Pro Hockey Life provides exclusive in-store and online discounts to the Bank's customers, promotes advice on equipment and enhances the grassroots community programs of both companies.  Scotiabank also has partnerships with the Montreal Canadiens®, the Calgary Flames® whose home arena is the Scotiabank Saddledome, and the Ottawa Senators® whose home arena is Scotiabank Place. For more information on Scotiabank's hockey programs visit www.scotiahockeyclub.com.

Scotiabank is committed to supporting the communities in which we live and work, both in Canada and abroad.  Recognized as a leader internationally and among Canadian corporations for its charitable donations and philanthropic activities, Scotiabank has provided on average approximately $44 million annually to community causes around the world over the last 5 years. Visit us at www.scotiabank.com.