Contributed – Mar 3, 2010 / 1:45 pm | Stories: 53060
An NHL team will be holding an open practice later this month in Kelowna.
The Detroit Red Wings will be at Prospera Place on Wednesday, March 17, as part of a three day stay in Kelowna.
Canada’s Olympic head coach and Detroit bench boss, Mike Babcock, and the rest of the Red Wings will be stopping in Kelowna due to a four day break between its games in Calgary on March 15 and in Edmonton on March 19.
Players will be in Kelowna for three days while the team has scheduled two practices.
The public will be able to watch one of the practices while the other will be closed to the public.
The open practice will be held from 11 am to noon on Wednesday, March 17.
Doors will open at 10 am and the Kelowna Food Bank will be on hand to accept donations as admission to the event.
“The Red Wings contacted us about coming in because it didn’t make sense for them to go back to Detroit,” says Rockets’ President and General Manager, Bruce Hamilton.
“We felt it was a great opportunity to have them in Kelowna. It’s another event that is in our building and we’re looking forward to it.”
The Red Wings connection to the Okanagan is well known.
Red Wings general manager Ken Holland is a Vernon native while Former Kelowna Rockets assistant coach Jeff Finley is a scout for the Red Wings and lives in Kelowna.
Gold medal head coach Mike Babcock played for the Kelowna Wings in the 1982-83 WHL season.
