The anticipation is building for the 25th home opener of Cougars hockey in Prince George.
The silver anniversary is called Welcome Home night as the Cougars look to take a bite out of the Kelowna Rockets tomorrow at CN Centre.
Over the course of the evening, the WHL club will be unveiling its top 25 players in franchise history.
The list will further cement the efforts made by the Cougars in molding some top-notch individuals.
“Over the years, people have been able to watch us develop not just some great hockey players and we’ve had some pretty good ones with Chara (Zdeno), and Connolly (Brett) and Byfuglien (Dustin) all winning Stanley Cups but beyond that, we’ve also been able to develop some really good fathers, husbands and good citizens of communities.”
Beesley adds the rankings should bring back a lot of memories for the fans.
“I think fans are really going to get a great kick out of seeing and remembering some of the names of these boys when they were playing and having some of the excitement of watching these guys on the ice and as to who the winners going to be, you’ll have to show up to find out.”
The pre-game tailgate party kicks off at 4:45 PM outside the arena where fans can enjoy food struck items from Frozen Paddle and the White Goose Bistro.
All of the players will be entering the arena like movie starts thanks to a special touch from the Cruisin’s Classics and Overdrive car clubs.
“We’re having our players arrive in classic cars, our players will be coming up to the front of CN Centre and getting the Red Carpet treatment going into the building.”
With the evening called Welcome Home Night in conjunction with Ridgeline Roofing, Beesley says one lucky family will get the thrill of a lifetime.
“We are going to unveil during the game a family that had been nominated to win a brand new house and property, they don’t know who they are yet but they’re going to be invited to the game and we will be telling that to them.”
Puck drop is at 7 PM with game two of the doubleheader taking place on Saturday.