First Official NHL Event on Crescent Street in Montreal_ Crescent Streete Merchants Association

October 9th, 10th and 11th, 2008
NHL Celebrates launch of 2008-2009 season
with Bud Light Hockey Challenge in Montréal
New hockey festival to feature full slate of free activities on Crescent Street

[ Schedule of events ]

Montréal, October 2, 2008 — Hockey’s back, and this year the season is starting off with a bang! On October 9, The National Hockey League (NHL) will launch its 2008-09 season in style in Montréal at the Bud Light Hockey Challenge™ in association with the NHL Face-Off™ 2008. The new three-day hockey festival, taking place Thursday, October 9 through Saturday, October 11 on Crescent Street in downtown Montréal, will feature a full slate of free activities for hockey fans, live entertainment each night, and competitions on an 18-metre hockey rink in the middle of the street.

“Montréal will be the centre of the hockey world this season,” said Dave Morissette, former Montréal Canadiens left winger and spokesperson for the event. “With the NHL All-Star game coming to town this year, and the Bud Light Hockey Challenge, we will certainly see a huge amount of excitement. This event is our way of saluting the passion of hockey fans and offering them a chance to have a whole lot of fun while celebrating the game.”

“NHL Face-Off 2008 is about celebrating the return of the hockey season by providing interactive opportunities for our fans to directly connect with the brand,” said Keith Wachtel, Senior Vice President, Corporate Sales and Marketing for the NHL. “We are excited to team up with Bud Light to offer this exciting experience for fans in Montreal.”

Activities for everyone.
Crescent Street will be completely transformed to host a multitude of free activities. Fans and curious onlookers are invited to check out the music presented on the Bud Light stage, as well as compete for prizes in contests that test their skill at puck target shooting, table hockey, knowledge of hockey trivia, and agility in donning hockey clothing and gear. As well, there will be four large exhibitions on display on the history of hockey.

In addition to Morissette, celebrities will be on-site, showing off their talents on the 18-metre rink on Crescent Street in exhibition games, being held at lunch hour and happy hour on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

“We offer the perfect location for hockey fans to enjoy the sport outside of the stadium,” said Bernard Ragueneau, President of the Crescent Street Merchants Association. “We offer easy access to public transportation, and along Crescent Street there are many terraces and restaurants and places to enjoy the games. We will be rolling out the red carpet.”

Crescent Street is pleased to welcome XM Satellite Radio, ScotiaBank, Sports Rousseau and Honda’s displays to the street.

Charity hockey tournament
The rink will also be the site of one main feature of the Bud Light Hockey Challenge, the charity hockey tournament. The tournament features 16 teams made up of four players each competing for a grand prize. Teams are drawn from companies who contribute the players and monies to the charity. Thousands of fans are anticipated to watch the action. The winning team takes home four tickets to the 57th NHL All-Star Game, taking place at the Bell Centre in downtown Montréal on January 25, 2009.

The event runs from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. each day. Opening ceremonies for the tournament take place at 12:30 noon on Thursday, October 9, and closing ceremonies at 9:45 p.m. on Saturday evening. The first round of games will be played over the course of the three-day event. The top eight teams will advance to the quarter-finals on Saturday afternoon. The semi-finals take place Saturday evening, and the tournament’s championship game takes place Saturday night at 9:15 p.m.

“After ten years of creating exciting events for Montreal and Crescent Street, I didn’t think anything could top them off… until now,” said Brian Fogt, President of BBF Promotions and Events. “I am thrilled to be part of this unique event.”

Proceeds to heart foundation for children
All proceeds from the hockey tournament will be donated to Fondation en cœur, Fondation québécoise pour les enfants malades du cœur (Québec foundation for children with heart disease). The Fondation en Coeur was founded in 1984 by Dr. Andrew D’Avignon and Dr. Anne Fournier, pediatricians, cardiologists from the Sainte-Justine Hospital in Montréal, and by parents of children with heart disease. The foundation’s mission is to provide children suffering from heart disease and their parents with information and social support and to contribute to improving medical services available to children in need. For more information on the en Coeur Fondation please visit their website www.fondationencoeur.com.