The Durham Chronicle - 2017-12-12

18 The Chronicle December 12 - 18, 2017 chronicle.durhamcollege.ca Sports
N.Y. Islanders, Sabres
will play in Oshawa
Upgrades
at TCC
help
bring NHL
game in
September
Conner McTague
The Chronicle
The NHL is making its way to
Oshawa - but for one day only.
The New York Islanders will host
the Buffalo Sabres for a pre-season
matchup at Tribute Communities
Centre on Sept. 28, 2018 at 7 p.m.
“This event will bring today’s
heroes of hockey to the Tribute
Communities Centre, Durham
Region’s premier sports and entertainment
facility, located in
downtown Oshawa,” said Oshawa
Mayor John Henry.
The Generals have helped more
than 200 players reach the NHL
over their history, including hall of
famers, Bobby Orr, Dave Andreychuk
and Eric Lindros.
Generals president and governor,
Rocco Tullio said the process
of bringing a pre-season game to
Oshawa has been in the works for
about a year and it became a possibility
because city council acted
quickly and approved the necessary
upgrades to TCC to fit NHL
standards including new glass and
mesh around the seats.
The Islanders being included will
be a treat for Oshawa residents as
the team has Generals alumni in
captain John Tavares, Cal Clutterbuck,
Calvin de Haan, Mitchell
Vande Sompel and Michael Dal
Colle.
Vande Sompel and Dal Colle
were members of the 2015 Memorial
Cup-winning team.
Tavares is the most notable of the
names as he posted 383 points in
four seasons with the Gens. He had
his number retired by the team in
September of 2014.
“I think JT having his number
retired here and being a hometown
favourite was obviously a major
factor for everybody involved,”
Tullio said. While he’s a pending
free agent, Tavares will be a big
draw should he re-sign with the
Isles thissummer.
Speaking in a conference call,
Sabres assistant general manager
(AGM) Randy Sexton said, “we
have absolutely no doubt that it will
be a wonderful experience for our
players and the Islanders players
and most importantly the fans in
Oshawa.”
Islanders AGM Chris Lamoriello
also spoke briefly about the
excitement to both host the game
and celebrate the history of hockey
in Oshawa.
“I think for young people in our
Photograph by Conner McTague
On hand to announce a pre-season game in Oshawa between the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres in September were
(from left) On-Ice president John Graham, Generals' president Rocco Tullio, Oshawa mayor John Henry and councillors Nester
Pidwerbecki and Rick Kerr.
communities across this country,
seeing an NHL game and our
heroes of today, is so amazing,”
Henry said.
Tickets went on sale to the general
public on Monday, Dec. 11 at
10 a.m.
Ticket prices range between
$84.99 and $110, plus taxes.
Former Gens, now NHLers, return to junior roots
Tavares,
de Haan
headline
Oshawa
alumni who
could play in
September
at TCC
Cameron Black-Araujo
The Chronicle
Some current NHLers are getting
another chance to lace up their
skates at the Tribute Communities
Centre – the name of their home
arena (then called the GM Centre),
when they played for the Oshawa
Generals.
Current New York Islanders and
Generals’ alumni, John Tavares,
Cal Clutterbuck and Calvin de
Haan will get the chance when they
play host to the Buffalo Sabres in a
pre-season NHL game on September
28, 2018.
John Tavares will be back on
the ice in the town that led him to
becoming the current Islanders’
captain. Tavares would be a lock
to play in the game should he decide
to stay in New York as he is
set to become a free agent on July
1st (de Haan is also set to become
a free agent).
“I think JT having a retired jersey
here and being a hometown
favourite was obviously a major
factor for everybody involved,”
said Rocco Tullio, president of the
Generals.
After tallying 383 points in a
Generals’ uniform over four years,
it will be Tavares’ first time stepping
back on the ice at the TCC
since the Generals traded him to
London in his final season. Nine
years later, with his name and number
in the rafters, it could be the
final time he will play in Oshawa.
Tavares all-time ranks with the
Generals’ prove why he was taken
first overall by the Islanders in
2009 as he sits first in goals, second
in points and fourth in assists.
Clutterbuck played with the
Generals’ from 2004-2007 and
was known for scoring and physicality
as he posted two 35-plus goal
seasons and two 130-plus penalty
minute seasons. He was drafted in
the third-round by the Minnesota
Wild in 2006 before being traded
to the Islanders in 2013.
de Haan played with the Generals
from 2008-2011 where he was a
force on the back end. This led to
de Haan being a first-round, 12th
overall selection to the Islanders in
2009, where he has spent his entire
NHL career.
“It’s important to them because
this was the start of their careers.
But what’s really important is those
young people who watch them on
Saturday nights,” said Mayor John
Henry. “It’s the image of what these
hockey players do in their communities.”
More recent Generals graduates
like Michael Dal Colle and Mitchell
Vande Sompel will also try to
crack the lineup as they currently
suit up for the Islanders’ farm team,
the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
With the game happening late in
the pre-season, the game is likely to
feature key players from both sides
and especially former Generals.