Free Family Day skate with Olympians at Leaside, Ted Reeve and Harboufront.
Former Canadian women's Olympic hockey team member Vicki Sunohara autographs photos for Leaside Wildcats 82 Atom BB team players in this file photo. The RBC Family Day skate will feature former Olympians Sunohara, Jayna Hefford and Jennifer Botterill at Ted Reeve, Leaside and Harbourfront respectively.
File Photo/JILL KITCHENER
Not only will local residents be able to skate for free with a Canadian Olympic gold medalist at a couple of city arenas this coming Family Day (Monday, Feb. 20), but money will also be handed over to a couple of organizations that provide skating opportunities for under-privileged youth.
Visitors will also get a chance to win Team Canada jerseys autographed by Steve Yzerman and Steve Stamkos.
It's all part of the RBC Play Hockey program which, on Monday, will hand over funds to the worthwhile skating initiatives while keeping families active at eight arenas throughout Ontario - including three in Toronto.
The Toronto locations include the following:
* Leaside Memorial Community Gardens, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with Jayna Hefford. A $10,000 grant will be handed over to help support the Learn to Skate program in the Thorncliffe community;
* Harbourfront Centre, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with Jennifer Botterill (who will be there from 1 to 3 p.m.). Two grants will be handed over at this location: a $25,000 grant to help sustain their Learn to Skate program; and a $10,000 grant to downtown-base Moss Park Hockey League towards their free hockey league that caters to families who would not otherwise be able to afford to put their children into the sport;
* Ted Reeve Community Arena from noon to 4 p.m., with Vicky Sunohara (who will be there from 1 to 3 p.m.). Please note that at this location there will be a skate sharing program available to those who wish to participate and do not have skates.
If the three Olympians bring their Olympic medals they will definitely be weighed downed by them as they share eight gold and three silver medals between them in women's hockey.
They all helped Team Canada to silver in 1998 and gold in 2002, 2006 and 2010 (except for Sunohara who retired prior to 2010).
All are retired from national team duty now. Hefford still laces up for the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) Brampton Thunder team while Botterill retired from the Toronto Furies last season. Sunohara is actually enjoying a good inaugural season behind the bench for the University of Toronto women's team, guiding them to a record of 15 wins, 10 losses and one overtime loss, good for third place, in the just recently completed regular season.
More on the event at www.rbc.com/familyday