As far as anyone remembers, as long as there’s been an annual Cochrane Winter Carnival… there’s been an OPP vs. Firefighters charity hockey game.
Const. Kyler Brouwer says this year’s version goes Wednesday at 6:00pm at the Tim Horton Event Centre.
It wouldn’t be hockey without nicknames, and Brouwer says the OPP has a lot of them.
“We have some players that go by the name The Hammer, The Pitbull, The Shredder and The Piano Man, which is a very aggressive name, if I do say so myself.”
Some police and firefighters’ kids will be part of the game. And the usual hijinks are sure to ensue.
Brouwer says the firefighters don’t stand a chance on the scoreboard.
“No,” he says emphatically. “No, see, the OPP, we pride ourselves on quick response times, right? So I just hope the firefighters don’t take too long, getting their act together on the ice.” …That, from a man who admits to not having been on skates in five years.
The game is mostly fun. The cause is serious. Money raised from the $3.00 entry fee for adults and $2.00 for children and seniors goes to research into muscular dystrophy.
