(File photo of Nipawin Hawks/northeastNOW)

By Ben Tompkins

Legends of the Game

Hawks to host NHL/Alumni game in late October

Jul 29, 2025 | 12:06 PM

Just over a month into the 2025/26 SJHL regular season, the best game of the year could take place, and it won’t be between two SJHL teams.

The Nipawin Hawks will be bringing back 24 of their alumni (a full four lines of skaters, two goalies and two coaches) to play in a full, 60-minute contest against NHL alums.

“When I was a kid, my dad brought Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs old timers to my hometown, and I got to meet guys like Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard. At the time, I didn’t really know who they were, but it’s one of the great memories I have with my dad, so I’d love to see dads be able to do that with their kids nowadays, too. We want to get that love of the game back in our communities here and see kids start to love hockey again, and start to grow the game again, because it’s the best game in the world,” said Hawks President Rob Nicholas.

It’s scheduled to happen across Oct. 24 and 25, and while all the details of the weekend event haven’t been officially finalized yet, there are a handful that are firmly in place.

The plan is to have something with the Hawks’ alumni the night of the 24th, in some sort of shootout event. That will be preceded by a social gathering. Then, on the 25th, the game will start at 2 p.m., with supper at the Evergreen Centre planned for 6 p.m.

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While the team hasn’t announced all the players for both sides, a couple of names that northeastNOW was able to confirm were Marty McSorley, Darcy Hordichuk, Cory Cross, Brian Skrudland, Chris Joseph, Eric Gryba, and Steve MacIntyre for the NHL side.

Meanwhile, for the Nipawin group, that will include the likes of Bryce, Cris, and Greg Classen, the club’s first captain, Tomi Symenuk, and the franchise’s second leading scorer, Rejean Stringer.

Other players, for both sides, will continue to be announced as the game approaches on the Hawks Facebook page.

“There hasn’t been a lot of success with this type of event in the past, and I think it’s because people just don’t know that these events are going on. We’re going to do our best to make sure this thing gets out there so that everybody has an opportunity to come see these guys. These NHL players are also very excited to come here and play in this venue,” Nicholas added.

“We want to do more stuff to bring back the love of the game for the community, so we thought about what we can do to support the community, as opposed to the Hawks just asking for money so that we can operate. We want to give the community back some exciting stuff.”

The event will be used as a fundraiser for the club, with tickets for the alumni game set at $35, supper tickets also set at $35, and the pair set for $60. The team can sell 1,200 tickets for the game and 380 for the supper.

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On X @BenTompkins_8