Last year, they signed autographs and raised money for JoeAnna’s House.
This year, the plan for the second annual Gorges-Comeau Homebase Charity Slo-pitch Tournament is to sign more autographs and again raise money.
The 2019 tournament, much like the 2018 edition, will run June 28-29 at Elk’s Stadium and Mission Sports Fields, and will feature at least a half-dozen current or former NHL players.
Helping run the tournament are former NHL defenceman Josh Gorges and current NHL forward Blake Comeau. Other NHLers who will be participating include Shea Weber, Carey Price, Brendan Gallagher and Luke Schenn.
“We couldn’t be more excited to be back,” said Gorges. “This city has given me so much. I’m just thrilled to give something in return.
“And to have fun with some friends and members of the community at the same time . . . it’s a win-win.”
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Last year, the tournament raised $117,000 for JoeAnna’s House, a home-away-from-home in Kelowna for families who need to travel to Kelowna for health care.
“JoeAnna’s House is an example of how great this community is,” said Brendan Willis, branch manager of event sponsor Raymond James. “When we work together with the KGH Foundation to build and soon operate a home like JoeAnna’s House, we’re showing what this community is capable of.”
The event starts Friday, June 28 at Elks Stadium with an hour-long autograph session followed by the NHL All-Star Match. The autograph session will run from 5 to 6 p.m., with the game starting at 6:30 p.m.
On Saturday, the action shifts to Mission Sports Fields, with round-robin games starting at 8:30 a.m. Playoffs are scheduled to start at 5 p.m., with everything wrapping up by 7 p.m.
Of note, there are rules regarding registration, the autograph session and attending Friday’s game. Those rules can be found here.