Hockeyville (11) - Thank You Everyone!

After the game, the Atlanta Thrashers & New York Islanders players and coaches were on the ice to greet over 40 lucky fans and give them team jerseys!

Both teams put on a fantastic game and exhibited super sportsmanship!

Thank yous to everyone (Kraft, CBC, NHLPA, NHL, North Bay Hockeyville Committee, tons & tons of volunteers, the people of the Near North Region and anyone else who I may have accidentally missed) involved in presenting this wonderful opportunity for the youth and citizens of the North Bay region.

Hockeyville (10) - He Shoots....

He Shoots...He Scores!!!

At 1:13 into overtime, Thrahers defenceman #2 Garnet Exelby (hometown: Ste Anne, Manitoba) rifles one past the Islanders' Joey MacDonald (hometown: Pictou, Nova Scotia) to give the Atlanta the 4-3 victory.

The photo was taken at the Hockeyville game that was played in Memorial Gardens in North Bay, Ontario on Monday September 17, 2007.

Hockeyville (9) - End of Regulation Time

End of regulation time and the score is tied at 3-3. Now it's sudden death with 5 minutes of overtime put on the clock and the first team to score wins!!

Hockeyville (8) - Coach's Corner in North Bay

All Canadian hockey fans will recognize the dapper gentleman walking to centre ice as being Don Cherry, also know as Grapes. He is a former Boston Bruins coach and has a wonderfully colourful programme called "Coach's Corner" which is aired during the first intermission of all Saturday night hockey games televised on the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) flagship show "Hockey Night in Canada".

His partner on the show for the past 18 years has been Ron MacLean. Ron although a dapper dresser himself, cannot match the stylish and sometimes flamboyant suits and ties that Don wears. (If you can't tell, Don is wearing the teal suit with yellow tie).

Don Cherry usually very outspoken all issues not just hockey. Not everyone in Canada agrees with Don but almost no hockey fan will miss watching his programme.

This evening during Hockeyville, they put on a great live "Coach's Corner". Don had some colourful things to say while as usual, Ron was more diplomatic in his comments. Don was even told by a NHL suit that they needed to end their programme so that the Zambonis could come out to flood the rink but Don said "we'll stop when we want to" and the fans just "screamed" their approval for Don & Ron to continue their talking.

Thank yous goes out to the CBC, Ron MacLean and Don Cherry for being a part of North Bay's Hockeyville.

Hockeyville (7) - Breakaway

Thrashers get a breakaway late in the period but are denied the goal!

To answer some of your questions. Memorial Gardens is certainly small for NHL standards as it seats just over 4000, but it is certainly adequate for an OHL team or another major junior team. Plus there is nothing like being a nice & noisy arena when your team is winning!!

Hockeyville (6) - That's going to hurt!

More exciting action from North Bay's Memorial Gardens between the Atlanta Thrashers and the New York Islanders. Here we can see one of the Islanders upended as he was trying to get into the Thrashers zone.