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Hometown Hockey set for visit to CFB Esquimalt

Don Cherry and his loud blazers are coming to Naden. The hockey personality is heading to Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt for a celebration of the sport Feb. 16-17 as part of that weekend’s Rogers Hometown Hockey broadcast, it was announced Wednesday.

Don Cherry and his loud blazers are coming to Naden.

The hockey personality is heading to Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt for a celebration of the sport Feb. 16-17 as part of that weekend’s Rogers Hometown Hockey broadcast, it was announced Wednesday.

Hosts Ron MacLean and Tara Slone will also be on site for the festivities, which include meet-and-greet opportunities with former Vancouver Canucks goaltender Kirk McLean, live local entertainment, and the live Sportsnet NHL broadcast.

Cherry is appearing live on Sunday’s broadcast and taping a special Coach’s Corner with MacLean for Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday night.

The two-day hockey festival begins on Saturday, Feb. 16, at noon at CFB Esquimalt’s Wurtele Arena, and will conclude on Sunday evening following the Rogers Hometown Hockey outdoor viewing party. The latter afternoon’s broadcast begins with a special pre-game show hosted by MacLean and Slone live from the Sportsnet Mobile Studio beginning at 3:30 p.m., followed by the broadcast of the NHL game between the Montreal Canadiens and Florida Panthers on Sportsnet.

As part of the broadcast, MacLean and Slone will be taken aboard HMCS Vancouver for a first-hand look at life in the Royal Canadian Navy. CFB Esquimalt base commander Jason Boyd will be a special guest during the broadcast.

This is the fourth broadcast of Rogers Hometown Hockey from an Island venue in the past five years, following recent-year broadcasts from the Inner Harbour, Duncan and Nanaimo.