The Olds Grizzlys will be bringing Dave ‘The Hammer' Schultz to town as part of the team's annual Vegas on the Prairies fun casino on Feb. 2, 2013.
Schultz will be the keynote speaker at the annual event, which is used as a fundraiser for the team.
Rob Turville, the Grizzlys' business manager, said when he began planning for this year's event, he contacted several agencies and publicists, with Schultz's representatives indicating the former NHL enforcer was interested in the event.
“They were very interested as Dave is from small-town (Waldheim) Saskatchewan and is very familiar with Western Canada and in fact last year did the same type of speaking engagement in Warner, … for the Warner hockey school. It was a great success down there and I had discussions with Dave himself and his publicist,” Turville said.
Turville said the hope is that by bringing in a former NHLer with the name recognition that Schultz has will bring out a much larger crowd to the event this time around.
“We feel that bringing in a big-name celebrity … and someone who is very well-known within the hockey community will help attract some more numbers to the event,” he said.
With a similar setup to previous years' events, Schultz will be speaking for about 45 minutes. Schultz, who still holds the single-season NHL penalty minute record with 472 in 1974-75, will also be bringing a signed Philadelphia Flyers jersey, 15 hammers that he will sign, and he himself will be eating dinner with the highest bidding table.
Turville said the plan this year is quite ambitious.
“I've seen it happen in other junior programs where they bring in some big name NHL alumni and players and I think that's what you kind of need to do to attract the bigger crowds,” he said.
Tickets for the event are $100 or $750 for a table of eight. It will be held at the Olds College Alumni Centre.
