A group of National Hockey League (NHL) players took the ice at the arena in Bracebridge for Muskoka Hockey’s Community Day. The NHLers The group was headlined by Sam Bennett, two-time Stanley Cup Champion with the Florida Panthers, and Bo Horvat, fellow Team Canada Olympian and New York Islanders forward. “It’s awesome. It’s great to have all the kids come out and support us and to put on a little show for them today,” said Bennett. “That’s what hockey’s all about. Bringing community together and we’re happy to do it.” “For them to come out and see what we do on the ice and on a daily basis, it’s fun and we’re happy to share with them,” added Horvat. The group also included Dylan Cozens (Ottawa Senators forward), Brandon Montour (Seattle Kraken defenceman), Ryan McCleod (Buffalo Sabres forward), Erik Gudbranson (Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman), and Nathan Bastian (Dallas Stars defenceman). Local and cottage families lined the glass at the Muskoka Lumber Community Centre, as they watched the group take part in drills and small area scrimmages. The players then held an autograph session. The now-annual Muskoka Hockey event brings NHL players to Bracebridge each summer. It is led by former pros Sam Gagner and Brady Leavold. “The reason we created this is so that we could just stay up here all summer and there was access to high-level training,” said Gagner, who played 17 NHL seasons. “Guys call this their summer home and we’re very mindful of helping out the community here, so it’s a great event.” “This has certainly injected a lot of life and enthusiasm and I think a lot of dreaming for a lot of young kids,” added Brady Leavold, Muskoka Hockey Director of Development and Culture. Muskoka as an offseason hotspot Gagner and Leavold welcome more NHLers each year who choose cottage country as their off-season training ground. “This is my first full summer up here and I’ve just been enjoying the lake, the weather has been incredible,” said Bennett. “What’s not to love?” “It’s been great for me the last 5-6 years and we just love it up here,” added Horvat. This year’s event also had a fundraising component. Food and financial donations were collected for the Manna Food Bank. “We were the recipients of all the donations today and received about $300 and 100 pounds of food donated,” confirmed Brian Bobbette, Manna Food Bank General Manager. Training camp weeks away The group of NHLers will continue their offseason training in Muskoka for four more weeks before returning to their respective teams for the start of training camp in mid-September.
