NHL legend Reggie Leach coming to Yukon Native Hockey Tournament
Former NHLer and Stanley Cup winner will host book signings at tournament venues
The countdown is on to the 39th annual Yukon Native Hockey Tournament, and organizers are busy sorting out last minute details and preparing for some big-name guests who will be in town for the event.
Former NHL player and Stanley Cup winner Reggie Leach is one of those guests.
"We are happy to have Reggie back. He's been here before as our guest in 2010, and then he came up as our guest again for 'Hockey Day in Canada' in 2011," said Karee Vallevand, coordinator of the Yukon Indian Hockey Association.
"He's a good friend of the tournament."
Leach will host book signings at tournament venues over the weekend to promote his new book, The Riverton Rifle: Straight Shooting on Hockey and on Life, that documents his experiences in overcoming hardship to rise through the NHL ranks.
Country music star Aaron Pritchett will also make a special guest appearance at this year's tournament.
"He's a big hockey fan, so he's agreed to come up as part of the Teslin Minor Hockey Initiative and he's going to sing O Canada, and drop the puck for us at the final game," said Vallevand.
The Yukon Native Hockey Tournament will host 43 teams competing across six divisions this year. Teams are coming in from Northern B.C. and across the N.W.T. and Yukon. The tournament gets underway in Whitehorse on Apr. 1.