Barrie and Windsor are playing host

Press Release

Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League in association with the Ontario Hockey League and SUBWAY® today announced two of the six Canadian host centres for the 2009 SUBWAY® Super Series.

The Barrie Colts will host the first game of the Ontario leg of the series on Thursday, November 19, followed by the reigning OHL and Memorial Cup Champions Windsor Spitfires hosting the OHL’s second contest on Monday, November 23. The OHL venues will serve as games three and four of the series following the opening two games played in QMJHL host centres, with games five and six wrapping up the series in the WHL. The four remaining sites will be announced this week.

“The CHL is extremely excited to award the 2009 SUBWAY® Super Series to the Barrie Colts and to the reigning OHL and Memorial Cup champion Windsor Spitfires” said CHL President David Branch. “The Molson Centre and WFCU Centre are two of the premiere facilities in the OHL and both will be excellent stages for our league’s top talent who are competing for a spot on Canada’s National Junior Team.”

The SUBWAY® Super Series is an integral part of the identification process for Canada’s National Junior Team final selection camp as regional teams of CHL All-Stars compete against the Russian National Junior Team. Hockey Canada’s Men’s National Team Head Scout Al Murray works with regional league General Managers to assemble the best Canadian talent for the QMJHL, OHL, and WHL All-Star teams.

Team OHL emerged victorious in both 2008 games including a 6-3 win in Guelph, ON, on November 20, 2008, with a 3-2 win in St. Catharines, ON, November 24, 2008. CHL Player of the Year Cody Hodgson and 2009 NHL first overall pick John Tavares were both named game MVP’s during the series.

Last season, the CHL won five of the six games of the series before Canada captured its fifth straight gold medal at the 2009 World Junior Hockey Championships in Ottawa, ON, with a victory over Sweden. All 21 CHL players on Team Canada were selected to regional team rosters for the series. Russia defeated Slovakia to claim bronze with 14 players from the 2008 CHL event on its roster. The 2010 World Junior Hockey Championships will once again be played on Canadian soil in Saskatoon and Regina, SK.

All six games of the SUBWAY ® Super Series will be broadcast nationally on Rogers Sportsnet with RDS televising both games from the QMJHL.

The 2009 SUBWAY® Super Series is supported by CHL associate sponsors, Bank of Montreal and CCM.

2009 SUBWAY® Super Series Schedule of Games:

Game 1 – Monday November 16 at QMJHL
Game 2 – Wednesday November 18 at QMJHL
Game 3 – Thursday November 19 at Barrie, ON
Game 4 – Monday November 23 at Windsor, ON
Game 5 – Wednesday November 25 at WHL
Game 6 – Thursday November 26 at WHL

(Nathan also is a writer for Maineiacs Post to Post and the Maine Hockey Journal. He can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)