Jordin Tootoo, other former hockey pros to lace up in Iqaluit for charity

A dozen former professional hockey players plan to lace up their skates in Iqaluit to face off in a charity game for Nunavut-based community organizations.

The three-day event, starting on Friday, is run by Hockey Helps the Homeless, an Ontario-based charity that gives money from its fundraising events to local community organizations.

Hockey Helps the Homeless has what its business development manager Emma Langlois calls a “really strong network” of former players.

“[They] help us mobilize communities to raise funds for organizations who are helping some of the communities’ most vulnerable,” she said in a phone interview.

The organization runs fundraising hockey tournaments across the country, featuring former NHL, PWHL and Olympic players.

The puck is scheduled to drop at the Nunavut Northern Alumni Classic at the Arctic Winter Games Arena in Iqaluit on Saturday.

The Toronto Maple Leafs Alumni, captained by Joe Thornton and made up of other former Leafs will face off against the Hockey Helps the Homeless All-Stars, captained by retired Inuk NHL star Jordin Tootoo, starting at 4 p.m.

The three days of hockey fun include several free and ticketed events.

From Friday to Sunday, the Astro Theatre is showing Tootoo, a 2024 documentary about Tootoo’s life. Friday’s 8 p.m. showing will be followed by a question-and-answer session with Tootoo. Tickets are by donation. Screenings Saturday at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. are free.

Inuksuk High School is hosting FanFest from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., where fans will have opportunity to meet the pros and learn about Maple Leafs history.

Advance tickets for Saturday’s alumni game are $20 and can be picked up at FanFest. Pay-what-you-can tickets will also be available while supplies last.

After the game, Hockey Helps the Homeless is hosting a “Wine and Dine with the Pros” gala at the Aqsarniit Hotel and Conference Centre from 7:30 p.m. to midnight.

Players from both teams will be on hand for an evening of music and celebration, including a performance from the Tragically Hip’s Paul Langlois. 

Tickets start at $250. For groups of nine, a $2,000 package is available, which can be upgraded to the $5,000 package. That package includes priority seating with a hockey pro like Thornton, Tootoo or Brad May as well as a $1,000 tax receipt.

On Sunday, the fourth annual Tea and Bannock Cup will come to Iqaluit for the first time.

It’s an annual hockey game organized by Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami that typically takes place in Ottawa. The ITK team, led by president Natan Obed, and another Indigenous team face off for fun and bragging rights.

In Iqaluit this year, the ITK team takes on the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation at 10:30 a.m. in the Arctic Winter Games Arena. It is a free event.

Putting on events of this scale in the North comes with higher costs than in the south, Langlois said.

Hockey Helps the Homeless had a fundraising goal of $750,000 with $250,000 of that expected to be split between the  Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre and the Annauma Community Foundation. As of Wednesday, the fundraising total was at a little over $655,000.

The Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre provides hundreds of meals to Iqaluit residents every day.

The Annauma Community Foundation brings together charities and non-profits from across Nunavut to fund and support programs for children, youth, arts and culture.

“The funds supporting Annauma will go to other Nunavut communities,” Danielle Gibbie, executive director for the Annauma Community Foundation, said on Wednesday.

Both the alumni game and the Tea and Bannock Cup game will be broadcast on Uvagut TV and streamed on its website. 

Ticket sales for the Wine and Dine with the Pros gala end Wedneday at 6 p.m. ET.

More information can be found at Hockey Helps the Homeless’ Nunavut Northern Alumni Class website.