Twenty newcomers to Canada will soon become citizens in front of a Saskatoon Blades crowd.
The junior hockey team is hosting a citizenship ceremony Jan. 22 at the SaskTel Centre, during a game against the Swift Current Broncos.
It will be the first citizenship ceremony ever at a junior hockey game in the west, according to the team.
“We’re thrilled to help welcome newcomers to Saskatoon and use this beautiful game to make them feel more a part of the community,” Blades president Steve Hogle said in a media release.
The ceremony is part of the team’s Welcome to the World event, which brings hundreds of newcomers to the arena to take in the game and try out skating.
Almost 400 newcomers attended last year’s game.
“This is a tradition that is very important to Canada and our country, but it’s also a way to have fun in the winter, which is a big part of life in Saskatoon,” Mayor Charlie Clark said during a press conference outside the Saskatoon Open Door Society on Tuesday.
The Blades partnered with the Open Door Society and local business Ecologik to plan the event.
