TORONTO, ON - September 23, 2014 /CNW/ - Lindros, Sittler… and MacLean! This Thanksgiving weekend, Forest City fans will experience the ultimate hockey festival as the Rogers Hometown Hockey Tour presented by Scotiabank and Dodge makes its first stop of the season in the hockey-rich community of London, ON, with local heroes Eric Lindros and Darryl Sittler making appearances alongside host Ron MacLean.

The two-day hockey celebration gets underway Saturday, Oct. 11 at Noon ET from Budweiser Gardens and Covent Market Plaza, and concludes Sunday night following an outdoor viewing party of the first Rogers Hometown Hockey broadcast. The game features the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. New York Rangers, with the pre-game show hosted live onsite by MacLean from the Sportsnet Mobile Studio at 6:30 p.m. ET on City.

The free hockey-themed weekend will feature several interactive games, activities and live entertainment for the whole family, including:

• KidsZone with an inflatable mini-stick rink, face painting and bubble hockey
• Outdoor Viewing Parties on both Saturday (Hockey Night in Canada) and Sunday (Rogers Hometown Hockey)
• Ticket giveaways from the London Knights and Toronto Maple Leafs
• Scotiabank Community Locker Room with commemorative youth hockey jersey giveaways and interactive games
• Dodge Stow 'n' Go Challenge and a chance to win a Dodge Grand Caravan
• Be a Broadcaster: call a hockey play alongside Sportsnet Connected anchor Evanka Osmak
• McDonald's® Ball Hockey Rink with pick-up games and hockey skills competitions, including free McCafé® brewed coffee and Deluxe hot chocolate
• Interactive experiences inside the Rogers NHL GameCentre LIVE Trailer
• Xbox One gaming area featuring hockey and blockbuster titles, plus prizes and giveaways
• Food stations including BeaverTails authentic Canadian treats
• A Warming Station with Muskoka chairs and a live feed of the evening's hockey games

Rogers Hometown Hockey: Event and Broadcast Details
Location: Budweiser Gardens and Covent Market Plaza (99 Dundas St, London, ON)

Saturday, Oct. 11 - Festival opens at Noon ET and runs through end of Hockey Night in Canada outdoor viewing party

• Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 p.m. ET (CBC)

Sunday, Oct. 12 - Festival opens at Noon ET and runs through end of Rogers Hometown Hockey outdoor viewing party

• Toronto Maple Leafs vs. New York Rangers, 7 p.m. ET (City)

Rogers Cheer Like Never Before Contest
Leading up to the celebrations in London, local hockey teams have an opportunity to win the ultimate hockey experience as part of theCheer Like Never Before contest.

Teams can upload a video of their team cheer, with the Top 5 vote-getters invited to take part in the festivities when the Rogers Hometown Hockey Tour visits London on October 11 & 12. The winning team in each town will then be in the running to win the trip of a lifetime, including: a trip to an NHL game, VIP Game Day Experience, and perform their team cheer in an NHL dressing room. For full contest details visit www.hometownhockey.com

The Rogers Hometown Hockey Tour will roll into 25 different communities across Canada this season with a weekend of free outdoor hockey festivities for all ages, culminating in an outdoor viewing party of an NHL game broadcast every Sunday, with Ron MacLean hosting live onsite from the Sportsnet Mobile Studio. Following London, the tour will visit Selkirk, MB on October 18 and 19 for the second of 25 stops. For tour information visit www.hometownhockey.com

Social Media Links
Official website, Rogers Hometown Hockey www.hometownhockey.com
Facebook www.Facebook.com/RogersHometownHockey
Twitter @HometownHockey #HometownHockey
Instagram @HometownHockey

About Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications is a leading diversified public Canadian communications and media company. We are Canada's largest provider of wireless communications services and one of Canada's leading providers of cable television, high-speed Internet and telephony services to consumers and businesses. Through Rogers Media, we are engaged in radio and television broadcasting, televised shopping, magazines and trade publications, sports entertainment, and digital media. We are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A) (TSX: RCI.B) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI). For further information about the Rogers group of companies, please visit rogers.com.

Media Contacts

Jennifer Neziol
jennifer.neziol@rci.rogers.com
(w) 416.764.6361
(m) 416.275.9182

Sebastian Gatica
sebastian.gatica@rci.rogers.com
(w) 416.764.6368
(m) 416.710.9953

Jennifer Cram
jennifer.cram@rci.rogers.com
(w) 416.764.6364
(m) 416.804.1683

Meghann Cox
meghann.cox@rci.rogers.com
(w) 416.764.6362
(m) 416.258.3296