Posted on Thursday, June 11th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
The Belfast Giants are proud to announce their participation in the first ever Gardiner Cup, a four team tournament hosted by the Edinburgh Capitals in late September, with two teams from the American Hockey League making the journey to Scotland as part of the Homecoming Scotland Celebrations.
The tournament will feature the Toronto Marlies (AHL Affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs) and the Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL Affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens) along with UK Elite league teams the Edinburgh Capitals and the Belfast Giants, and will take place at Murrayfield Ice Rink in Edinburgh over the weekend of September 26th and 27th.
Giants General Manager Todd Kelman was in Edinburgh on Thursday morning at the official press launch for the event and spoke about the impact this tournament will have for the sport of ice hockey throughout the UK.
“This event will be massive,” said Kelman. “When the Capitals originally contacted me I could not believe that this might actually happen, and we are very happy to be a part of it.”
He continued, “The AHL is probably the second best league in the world next to the NHL, and these teams are the feeder teams for the two most storied franchises in the history of the sport. Hopefully this is the first step in an ongoing relationship between the Elite League and the AHL.”
“The Caps have received great support from the city of Edinburgh and from Homecoming Scotland, which have helped make this idea become a reality. I think this is a great thing for Edinburgh and particularly for the Capitals. This is also a great thing for the Giants organization and I know we are all looking forward to taking on the Hamilton Bulldogs.”
The Giants organization is expecting a huge turnout of support from the Giants fan base. The annual Edinburgh double header is a highlight for any traveling fan and the Capitals and Giants are hoping to see another big turnout to see this top flight action from what will be the two best teams to ever play a game in the UK.
The two AHL teams will play each other on Thursday, September 24th before the two day tournament kicks off on Saturday afternoon. The Capitals will take on the Toronto Marlies in the first match with the Giants facing off against the Hamilton Bulldogs in the evening game, facing off at 5:30pm.
The two winners will play in the final for the Gardiner Cup on Sunday evening, with the other two teams facing off for 3rd place in the afternoon.
The Gardiner Cup celebrates the life of Charles ‘Chuck’ Gardiner. Known as the Wandering Scotsman, he was one of the games pre-eminent goaltenders during the 1920’s and 30’s. Born in Edinburgh on Henderson Row he then moved to Canada with his family eventually settling in Winnipeg. He attained NHL stardom with the Chicago Blackhawks where he guarded the cage from 1927 – 1934. Prior to his untimely death in 1934, he led the Blackhawks to their first Stanley cup win and is the first Scot to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Naming the tournament cup after this great player seemed a fitting accolade for Chuck and his family.
For more information on the tournament, please visit:
www.icehockeyshomecoming.com
© 2008 Belfast Giants Limited, unless otherwise stated. Imagery © Michael Cooper Photography.
