Move over, Don Cherry. Make way for the Coquitlam Peewee C5 Chiefs.
The CBC television cameras were rolling Wednesday at the Poirier Sports Complex during practice for the Chiefs, who were chosen to be seen and heard on Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday, Feb. 18 as part of the 'Scotiabank Hockey Tonight Kids' pre-game show.
The Chiefs will help introduce an NHL game featuring the Vancouver Canucks versus the Toronto Maple Leafs. The bright television lights were on the Chiefs for 30 minutes in their dressing room prior to hitting the ice, and again for two separate segments while they skated and stickhandled, said Chiefs coach Andrew Mann.
"It was just great," Mann said. "Every kid who plays hockey dreams of one day being on Hockey Night in Canada. The kids had a terrific time. It was really something special."
Coquitlam Minor Hockey Association first applied to have one of their teams represented in the 'Scotiabank Hockey Tonight Kids' show with several others from across Canada, and the Chiefs were subsequently picked by their governing body as the marquee unit.
"Coquitlam Minor Hockey wanted to choose the team that best exemplified sportsmanship, and we have the fewest penalty minutes in our league," Mann said.
"Our coaches instill in the kids to battle hard for the puck but in a sportsmanly manner."
That's all part of what the expanding, four-year-old program is about, said Bill Leung, manager of the Scotiabank branch at North Road and Austin Avenue.
"The 'Scotiabank Hockey Tonight Kids' program was an absolute hit with the kids the past three years and we're thrilled to be calling up even more teams this season," Leung said. "We hope this program gives kids a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to feel the excitement of Hockey Night in Canada and the big leagues."
The players and coaches weren't the only ones tickled to get close to the television cameras, Mann added. The parents got in on the act, too.
"They were just as excited as the kids," Mann said with a chuckle.
