Last year’s Bobcats pose for a photo after the Bob Troup memorial banner was hoisted into the rafters of the Centennial Civic Centre. Meridian Source File Photo
After having to take a two-year break due to pandemic restrictions, the Lloydminster Junior A Bobcats organization is pleased to announce the return of its Evening of Champions.
“We missed out on two years of these with the pandemic, so this is the first time we’ll be hosting in two years, and it’s probably the biggest lineup of guest speakers we’ve had in quite some time since the Evening of Champions has been running,” said Bobcats head coach and general manager Nigel Dube.
This year’s event is being held on Sept. 8 at the WLS LLP Stockade Convention Centre and will include guest speakers to the likes of Olympic medalist Emerance Maschmeyer, as well as the voices of the Edmonton Oilers: Jack Michaels, Gene Principe and Bob Stauffer.
With the Evening of Champions taking place right before the second annual Boundary Battle on the Border alumni game, the event will also include Oilers alumni Cory Cross, Kyle Brodziak and Steve MacIntyre and Flames alumni Curtis Glencross, Dana Murzyn and Jamie Macoun.
“Emerance Maschmeyer played for the Bobcats back in the day, so she’s an alumnus for the Bobcats as well as a gold medalist for the Canadian Women’s hockey team, so I think it’ll be exciting to hear her story and get her take on the process she went through to become an Olympic gold medalist, as well as the journey she’s taken playing professional hockey,” said Dube. “I think that will be a pretty cool point in the night.”
Dube also noted having the voices of the Oilers in attendance should make for some pretty good storytelling.
“Those three guys definitely have a lot of great stories through their many interactions with players having been in and around the league for as long as they have been,” he said.
“I think their interactions will make for some neat stories but they’ll also be able to help with some hot stove questions with the NHL alumni players as well.”
And if the evening’s lineup wasn’t already strong enough, Dube explained the NHL alumni attending will make the night that much more exciting.
“When those guys come to events like this, it’s always great to hear their stories and what they’ve experienced,” he said. “They’re all over the map because each one has a different story, but I think that adds to the entertainment.”
The Evening of Champions isn’t just a night for the team itself, but it’s an important aspect of the team’s season when it comes to community involvement.
“It’s a great thing for our community,” said Dube.
“For the last couple of years, it’s been tied to the alumni game, which has been great, and having those NHL alumni come back into our community is amazing. Not every community is able to say they can do that.
“For us, it kicks off an exciting alumni weekend as a whole. I think it’s going to make for a great weekend in Lloydminster and I think we’ll see a lot of people come in to watch from out of town.”
The fun kicks off at 5 p.m. with cocktails before dinner is served at 6:30 p.m. Entertainment will follow at 8:30 p.m.
The Bobcats organization also wished to thank this year’s sponsors, Environmental 360 Solutions Inc., Border City Concrete, Border Steel and Boundary Ford.
Tickets for the event cost $100 each or a table of eight for $800. To reserve a table please call 780-871-0900 or email tomkelly8611@gmail.com.
