UPEI Men’s Hockey Hot Stove Night with NHL coaches set for August 5
Plenty of NHL hockey stories, and some from the old rinks of PEI, will be shared by three Islanders now coaching in the NHL during the UPEI Men's Hockey Hot Stove Night on August 5 at Fox Meadow Golf and Country Club in Stratford, PEI.
Dave Cameron, head coach of the Ottawa Senators, Gerard ‘Turk' Gallant, head coach of the Florida Panthers and Mike Kelly assistant coach of the Florida Panthers will be on the stage during the event.
'We were looking for a new fundraiser for the hockey team and we approached Dave, Turk, and Mike about the idea and we are thrilled they agreed,' said Booster club president and former Panther Lennie Kelly.
The evening event, organized by the UPEI Men's Hockey Booster Club, celebrates not only the success of Islanders in the coaching ranks of the NHL, but offers a chance to meet with the coaches, get an inside view of NHL dressing rooms and pose questions during the Hot Stove Session.
Tickets are $50 each and only 250 are available. Tickets can be purchased by contacting mhockey@upei.ca or calling (902) 566-0986. Doors open at 6:30 pm for a 'mix and mingle' event followed by the Hot Stove Session at 7:00 pm.
'It has been a busy off-season for each of them and we are very grateful that they will be at Fox Meadow on August 5 and help the UPEI Men's Hockey Program,' said UPEI head coach Forbie MacPherson.
Biographies:
Dave Cameron is a former UPEI Panther, played in the NHL, has coached in the Island Junior Hockey League, The Colonial Hockey League, the OHL, the AHL, Canada's World Junior team, and the NHL. He was named head coach of the Ottawa Senators in December of 2014.
Gerard (Turk ) Gallant, played in the QMJHL, was named to its Hall of Fame last year, played 615 games in the NHL with Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning, coached in the Island Junior Hockey League, and won the Royal Bank Cup. He was an Assistant coach and then head coach in NHL with Columbus Blue Jackets, Assistant coach with the New York Islanders, coached Saint John Sea Dog to a Memorial Cup, assistant coach with Montreal Canadiens and named head coach of the Florida Panthers in June of 2014.
Mike Kelly, played in the Island Junior Hockey League, played with UNB and in Europe. He was an assistant coach with the PEI Senators in its first season. He coached in the OHL and then as head coach of UNB won the University Cup, he also coached in the WHL and the AHL. He coached UPEI for one season and from there became an assistant coach with the Vancouver Canucks, then went on to be an associate coach of the Saint John Sea Dogs and was named QMJHL General Manager of the Year. He became an assistant coach of the Florida Panthers in early July of 2014.
