Doug Gilmour and Ray Bourque to hit the ice in Belleville

By Riley Maracle

BELLEVILLE – Some of the National Hockey League’s biggest legends will be hitting the ice in Belleville on Friday, Jan. 17.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins alumni teams will take part in the Scotiabank Legends of Hockey game at the Yardmen Arena to raise money for priority medical equipment for Belleville General Hospital.

Among the players will be Doug Gilmour, Ray Bourque, Terry O’Reilly and Al Iafrate.

Before the game on Jan. 17 the teams will be at Dem Bones sports bar on Bell Boulevard for an autograph signing. Admission is by donation.

This is the second year the Legends of Hockey event has taken place here. “Last year the Friday-night game with the alumni teams was a sellout event,” said Sue Rollins, special events-coordinator for the Belleville General Hospital Foundation.

This year something extra has been added to the festivities. The players will be taking part in a pro-am shinny tournament on Saturday, Jan. 18. Sixteen teams that were able to raise $5,000 will be able to draft any player of their choosing to take a spot on the team.

Rollins said that last year a little over $70,000 was raised. This year, with the addition of the shinny tournament, she hopes to raise that number.

“Our goal is $100,000.”

Tickets for Legends of Hockey game are available by going to legendsofhockey.ca or at the Belleville Bulls box office at the Yardmen Arena.