Over 500 teams expected to battle for street hockey supremacy, July 9-10

_ (press release) _ _ Hockey Night in Canada’s Play On! _ has announced that Ottawa will once again host one of its street hockey tournament tour stops at the Canadian Tire Centre on July 9-10, 2016. ** Registration closes on Monday, July 4. ** You can register online: www.playon.ca/events/ottawa Sportswriter Jack Knox wrote: “Peter Gzowski called hockey the ‘game of our lives.’ He was almost right. Ice hockey is what we watch, but road hockey is the game we actually play. The national game of Canadian mythology is played on a frozen pond, but in reality most of us spent more time, winter or summer, denting garage doors with tennis balls than slapping pucks.”

The _ Hockey Night in Canada’s Play On! _ event in Ottawa has traditionally been one of the largest events on the _ Hockey Night in Canada’s Play On! _ national tour (which tour will visit ten Canadian cities th

is summer). Drawing teams from throughout the Capital region and all over Ontario and Quebec, the 2015 Ottawa event attracted 474 participant teams, 3216 participants, 131 volunteers, and 113 officials. The event continues to grow annually. 50 street rinks are expected to be constructed as part of this season’s event. “We’re excited to bring this event back to the Nation’s Capital and Canadian Tire Centre” says Event Director Karen Speers “Ottawa is a great hockey market that has really embraced our event.”

The two-day tournament is open to teams consisting of as few as four and as many as nine players. Anyone can organize a team and register to play. The event features separate divisions for teams of all ages, both genders, and all skill levels. Special activities are expected to include a celebrity game, a breakaway competition, and the opportunity for participants to drink unlimited BioSteel sports drink throughout the entire event weekend! The event also includes a Corporate division, with proceeds donated to the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa.

Sponsorship opportunities are available for a limited time. Registration is now open at www.playon.ca/events/ottawa ** ** ** About Hockey Night in Canada’s Play On! ** Hockey Night in Canada’s Play On! is Canada’s largest sports festival, featuring recreational and competitive street hockey tournament divisions for both genders, all skill levels, and all ages. Since the program’s inception in 2003, more than two million Canadians have ‘taken back the streets’ from coast to coast through involvement in one of the one hundred and forty seven (147) Play On! events held to date. The events have collectively included participation from many prominent Canadians and hundreds of current NHL, AHL, CHL, and CIS players. These large-scale, highly organized street hockey events celebrate the game of hockey in its purest form, in a wholesome, fun-filled atmosphere that makes kids feel like NHL pros and helps adults feel like kids again. All interested participants can visit www.playon.ca for tournament information, to register a team, and more. Anyone can play!