Team Tanev Tops Team Matthews in Historic Hockey Night in Brampton
Photo credit: Toronto Maple Leafs
In what could only be considered a historic night for the City of Brampton, Chris Tanev's squad took the W from Auston Matthews during their charity hockey event; and Hockey Patrol was there.
It was a cool, cloudy Wednesday evening in Brampton as fans gathered from all over to witness Team Tanev vs. Team Matthews in the battle for supremacy, at least when it came to that night's charity event: Hockey Night in Brampton.
A night that signifies a deeper meaning, the goal was to raise as much money as possible to help build Brampton's second hospital; a feat that will require a lot of money.
It's a great thing though that the CAA Centre was nearly sold out as a packed house started way before the doors even opened.
A Historic Night for Charity
The line stretched throughout the parking lot, and it took roughly thirty minutes to enter the arena, and from there it was pure insanity.
We had lineups stretching dozens of feet for concessions, kids lining up to take a crack at their stickhandling drills, there were tons of Toronto Sceptres merchandise for sale (apropos for Renata Fast and Blair Turnbull being there) and it made for a truly hectic, but fun event.
Before the game started however, we were graced with an incredible and heartwarming bit of news. Thanks to the Cortellucci Family, the William Osler Health System received a whopping $50-million donation, a monumental amount that is no doubt going to play a critical part in building that hospital.
This was on top of the $6.67-million raised through the event by ticket sales, merchandise etc for a grand total raised of $56.67-million; a staggering amount that shows just how close the city is as a community.
NHL Stars and Fans Create Special Atmosphere
But when the puck dropped is when the fun truly started.
Not expected to be a wild game by any stretch, it didn't take long for Matthews to entertain the crowd by assisting on a goal within the first minute of the game.
But it was his goal that might have Leafs fans really excited, as he took a pretty lazy writer that was still deadly enough to find the net at a rapid speed.
As the first half of the game was nearing the midway point, it was Jeremy Roenick who decided to get in on the fun and led the crowd with a dance break that involved him strutting his stuff all over the ice.
After a wild back and forth from both sides that included goals from Shoresy star Terry Ryan, former Canucks forward Cody Hodgson, and Sceptres forward Renata Fast, it came down to a shootout.
With the game on the line, it was 10-9 Tanev's team and it was up to Mayor Patrick Brown to tie the game but unfortunately couldn't put the puck in as Team Tanev took the victory.
All in all, it was a night to remember. It also included Ron MacLean getting pied in the face, so it couldn't have been a better night frankly.
Although the day was long, it was a wonderful experience to be able to sit there and enjoy the hockey world come together for a great cause, and it seems like a sign of good things to come for not only Tanev and Matthews, but for the City of Brampton.
