One of the biggest names in NHL history is coming to Brampton for a charity hockey game that already features a long list of current and former hockey stars.
Hockey Hall of Famer and six-time Stanley Cup champion Mark Messier has been added to the lineup for this year’s Hockey Night in Brampton, where he will serve as team captain opposite Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly.
The annual charity game takes place Aug. 19 at the CAA Centre, with proceeds going toward the fundraising campaign for Brampton’s second hospital.
Messier’s addition gives the event an even bigger NHL presence. The former Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers captain played 25 NHL seasons and won five Stanley Cups with Edmonton before leading the Rangers to the championship in 1994, ending New York’s 54-year Stanley Cup drought.
He remains the only player in NHL history to captain two different teams to Stanley Cup championships.
Messier finished his NHL career with 1,887 regular-season points and was a two-time Hart Trophy winner and the 1984 Conn Smythe Trophy winner. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007.
He will now lead one side in Brampton’s annual hockey showcase, with Rielly captaining the opposing team.
Messier joins an already impressive collection of hockey talent expected at the game, including Michael Misa, Pavel Mintyukov, Stephen Halliday, Erik Gudbranson, Dylan Strome, Owen Power and Emily Clark.
Former NHL stars and fan favourites, including Curtis Joseph, Kris Versteeg, Paul Coffey, Ryan Getzlaf, Joe Kocur, Cody Hodgson and Terry Ryan are also scheduled to take part.
Doug Gilmour, Wendel Clark and Gary Roberts will serve as coaches, while Brampton Steelheads goaltenders Neilan Johnson and Oskari Ahmajärvi are also part of the lineup.
The game gets underway at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 6 p.m. Tickets are $36, with all proceeds supporting the effort to transform Peel Memorial into Brampton’s second hospital.
The event will also feature a live skills challenge during intermission involving Canadian national athlete and stickhandling specialist Pavel Barber.
Fans will also have the opportunity to meet several hockey legends before the game. Paul Coffey, Ryan Getzlaf and Joe Kocur are scheduled for an autograph session from 6 to 6:30 p.m., followed by Wendel Clark, Doug Gilmour and Gary Roberts from 6:30 to 6:55 p.m.
Hockey Night in Brampton launched in 2019 and has become a major annual fundraiser for William Osler Health System.
Organizers say the event has raised nearly $21 million over the past two years and helped secure a historic $50-million pledge to the Osler Foundation.
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