WHL Saskatoon Blades

Blades To Kick-off Season With Salute To Howe

Published on June 27, 2016 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Saskatoon Blades News Release


The Saskatoon Blades and their fans will salute Gordie Howe in the team's 2016-17 home opener Sunday, September 25th.

"While we remembered Gordie Howe by placing flowers, jerseys and a photo at his statue on the day we learned of his passing, our home opener will the first opportunity we have to formally honour Mr. Hockey," says team president Steve Hogle. "The legacy of Gordie Howe is deeply rooted in our community and our sport and we want to do something special to salute him."

The home opener is a Mosaic Sunday Funday matinee special with a 2 p.m. puck drop September 25th.

Blades fans love their weekend games and there will be plenty of action on those days. The Boys in Blue play 8 Friday night games, 10 on Saturday and 6 on Sunday. The regular start time on Sunday is 2 p.m. but on two occasions the matinees will begin at 4 p.m. due to WHL regulations which stipulate the 4 p.m. start time when one of the teams is playing its third games in three days.

Blades fans have come to enjoy the enhanced atmosphere with the upper deck curtained off, which limits seating to roughly 6,000 people at Blades games. The curtain will be pulled back just three times this upcoming season: the home opener, when thousands of tickets are renewed which were bought in conjunction with the purchase of a ticket to the NHL pre-season game; the Kinsmen Club of Saskatoon's Team Up For Respect Monday, January 30th, at 11:30 a.m., when up to 8-thousand school children come to the game with an 11:30 a.m. puck drop; and Fan Appreciation Night March 24th against the Prince Albert Raiders, the last regular season game of the year when the 50-50 begins at 50-thousand dollars.

There will be a number of other special games including a special party at the New Year's Day game January 1st to kick off the nation's year-long celebration of the 150th year since Canada's birth, the Teddy Bear Toss Saturday, December 17th, and Sing for Santa Sunday, December 11th, at 4 p.m.

The Blades will take their road trip through B.C. early in the season, starting with a tilt against Kelowna October 14th and ending the B.C. circuit in Prince George with a game October 22nd.

The complete schedule is now posted on our website under the "Tickets & Schedule" drop down menu.

Check out the Saskatoon Blades Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from June 27, 2016


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