TORONTO
,
Jan. 28
/CNW/ -
Maple Leaf
Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) will honour the thousands of men and women who serve
Canada
at their annual Canadian Forces Appreciation Night on
Saturday, January 30
during the Maple Leafs game versus the
Vancouver
Canucks.
MLSE has invited more than 360 Canadian Forces personnel from CFB Borden, 8 Wing
Trenton
, HMCS York and Land Force Central Area, many of whom have served in
Afghanistan
, to watch the game from one of Air
Canada
Centre's gondolas. In addition, Maple Leafs season seat holders have generously donated hundreds of tickets for Canadian troops.
"On behalf of MLSE, we're honoured to recognize and host the courageous men and women who have made tremendous personal sacrifices to serve our country," said
Tom Anselmi
, MLSE's executive vice-president and chief operating officer. "MLSE is committed to being a leader in the community and initiatives such as Canadian Forces Appreciation Night help reinforce this value.
"We want to recognize and thank our season seat holders who have teamed up with us to generously donate their tickets to our Tickets for Troops program."
Prior to the start of the game, five Canadian Forces personnel will rappel from Air
Canada
Centre's rafters to centre ice. Chief of the Defence Staff, General Walter J. Natynczyk will participate in the ceremonial puck drop along with three distinguished members of the Canadian Forces.
Maple Leafs fans with tickets to the
January 30
game are encouraged to be in their seats by
6:45 p.m.
to be part of the pregame festivities.
As part of an effort to support Canada's Troops, MLSE will make available the Leafs Song "Free to Be" sung by five-time Juno award winner
Alan Frew
, as an iTunes download on www.mlse.com and www.mapleleafs.com. The cost of a download is
$1.29
. Net proceeds of all sales of Free to Be between
7 p.m.
on
Saturday, January 30
to
Tuesday, February 2
at
7 p.m.
will benefit the Military Families Fund. The Leafs Song can be heard prior to the start of every Leafs game and on most of the team's television broadcasts.
Frew, the voice of Canadian group Glass Tiger, will also sing a live rendition of Free to Be during the Leafs TV pregame show at Air
Canada
Centre's Gate 5 Studio and at centre ice prior to the start of the Leafs game.
For the past three years, Anselmi, along with Leafs and NHL Alumni, have travelled to
Afghanistan
on a goodwill mission to visit Canada's soldiers. The Stanley Cup has accompanied them on all missions. Last year's mission to
Afghanistan
included Frew and his bandmates from Glass Tiger. The song idea for Free to Be was developed by Anselmi and Frew, who were inspired by their visit with Canada's troops serving in
Afghanistan
. The words and music were written by Frew and
Stephan Moccio
.
"We live in the greatest country in the world, and we wanted a song that emotionally connected Leafs fans from coast to coast and tapped into every Canadian's national pride. Alan shared the same passion for our team and he understood exactly what we needed to achieve with a new anthem. I think we nailed it with this song and judging by the reaction of our fans, they agree," Anselmi added.
All fans attending the
January 30
Maple Leafs game will receive a Free to Be collector song sheet. A
Canada
song version of Free to Be will also be available for download on iTunes. For more information, visit www.mlse.com or www.mapleleafs.com.
The Military Families Fund was created in
April 2007
by General
Rick Hillier
, the former Chief of Defence Staff, to assist military families faced with unforeseen and often immediate needs that have resulted due to conditions of service. The fund continues to grow through the generous contributions of Canadians, corporations and other organizations, adding a new vehicle to support Canadian Forces members and their families.
The
Toronto
Raptors will hold their Canadian Forces Appreciation Night on
Sunday, January 31
during their game against the Indiana Pacers. The
Toronto
Marlies will also recognize the Canadian Forces on Salute the Troops Day
Saturday, March 21
at their game against the Abbotsford Heat at Ricoh Coliseum.
For further information: For further information: Media Contacts: Rajani Kamath, MLSE, (416) 815-5790; Jamie Deans, MLSE, (416) 815-5445
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