Nelson the focal point of Hockey Day in Canada

Thirteen hours of wall to wall hockey coverage will once again take over the airwaves of the CBC, as Hockey Night in Canada presents the seventh edition of Hockey Day in Canada.

It’s a tribute to our love of the game and those minor hockey volunteers that keep it thriving from coast to coast to coast.

Nelson in south eastern BC, was the lucky winner of the cross Canada competition to host Ron and Don, as well as Dick Irvin, Cassie Campbell, Scott Morrison and Wendel Clark as they host the national broadcast from the Nelson and District Community complex.

The thirteen hour extravaganza presents the many stories from the rinks across the country, small towns and large cities, house leagues and rep teams all taking part in our national love affair.

In fact so caught up in the spirit of the event, Scott Morrison in his Hockey Night in Canada blog calls for a holiday to mark our love of the national game. A suggestion that will probably find more than a few folks ready to second the item on the agenda.

When we’re not having our heart strings tugged by vignettes of small town Canadianna, there will be some pretty good hockey to watch. Three games all featuring Canadian teams make up the roster of CBC’s coverage for Hockey Day in Canada.

Ottawa takes on Montreal in the opener an afternoon game from Scotiabank place, Toronto and Vancouver pick up the puck with the prime time game from the Air Canada Centre, while the battle of Alberta closes out this years edition of Hockey Day in Canada as the Flames host the Oilers at the Saddledome.

If you find some time, perhaps you can head down to your local rink and cheer on some of the youngest of players taking part in this great Canadian tradition. It’s a weekend of tournaments, league games and practices, wrapped up in excitement in each community across the nation.

If you really want to get in the spirit and you live west of Ontario where the cold winds have finally arrived, you might even be able to hit the rink. It’s not hockey day in Canada until you can’t feel your toes and have to go warm up by the furnace of the outdoor rink.

For Easterners living in the unusually balmy climes of a strange winter there’s always the indoor rinks, always open and always featuring a game.

Tune in, or drop in, you're bound to find something you might like!

The above post first appeared on my HockeyNation blog, for more items about hockey check it out!