The Minnesota Wild today announced the organization will host a “Crazy Game of Hockey” charity event in collaboration with the band O.A.R. and Minnesota’s own, Grammy-nominated guitarist Cory Wong on July 7 and 8 in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. The weekend activities will consist of three events helping launch and promote the newly announced Wild Alumni Association. The Minnesota Wild will donate a portion of the net proceeds to the Minnesota Wild Foundation.
The weekend will feature a VIP event at the historic Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis on July 7 at 7 p.m., a celebrity hockey game at TRIA Rink in Saint Paul on July 8 at 12:30 p.m. and conclude with a concert at the legendary Armory in Minneapolis featuring O.A.R. and Cory Wong on July 8 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets to the “Crazy Game of Hockey” charity event will go on sale today at 4 p.m. and include admission to all three events. There is a ticket limit of 6. To purchase larger groups or questions, contact Wild Fan Relations (651) 222-9453, ext. 1. A portion of the net proceeds will benefit the Minnesota Wild Foundation.
An exclusive VIP event will kick-off the weekend at Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis on Friday, July 7 at 7 p.m. The event will be hosted by O.A.R.’s Marc Roberge and Cory Wong and include a red-carpet entrance, musical acts Yam Haus and Tigirlily Gold, stand-up comedian Natalie Friedman, food and beverage, and a live and silent auction.
A “Crazy Game of Hockey” charity game will be held on Saturday, July 8 at 12:30 p.m. at TRIA Rink, the Wild practice facility in Saint Paul. The game will include three, 20-minute periods with 16-minute intermissions. Marc Roberge, former Captain Mikko Koivu and Wild Alum Ryan Carter will serve as captains for Team O.A.R. and Cory Wong, current Wild Captain Jared Spurgeon and Wild Alum Nate Prosser will serve as captains for Team Cory Wong. Personalities scheduled to participate in the charity hockey game include: Wild Alumni Niklas Backstrom, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Kyle Brodziak, Matt Cullen, Devan Dubnyk, Darby Hendrickson, Mark Parrish, Clayton Stoner and Thomas Vanek; current Wild players Alex Goligoski, Ryan Hartman, and Jon Merrill; USA hockey stars Hannah Brandt, Natalie Darwitz and Hilary Knight, athletes Zac Dalpe (NHL), Ben Leber (NFL alumni), Joe Mauer (MLB alumni), Randall McDaniel (NFL alumni), Mike Modano (NHL alumni), Greg Ostertag (NBA alumni), Drew Stafford (NHL alumni), Tom Reid (NHL alumni), celebrities Chris Culos (O.A.R.), Jamie Hersch (NHL Network), John Feitelberg (Barstool Sports), Dan Finnerty of the Dan Band (from The Hangover and Old School), Natalie Friedman (comedian), and Richard On (O.A.R.). Additional celebrities will be announced leading up to the event (subject to change).
The teams will be decided by a four round draft scheduled the last week of each month leading up to the July event. Team O.A.R. and Team Cory Wong will alternate selections until each team’s roster is complete. Each round will be highlighted on the following Wild digital platforms: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The “Crazy Game of Hockey” charity event will conclude with a concert on Saturday, July 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the legendary Armory in Minneapolis. O.A.R. and Cory Wong will play two full sets and collaborate with special guests for an incredible encore set.
(info courtesy of Wild)
