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Kirk McLean named honourary chair of 2020 CARHA World Cup

Canucks legend will be front and centre during tournament in Richmond this spring
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Kirk McLean, one of the greatest goaltenders in the Canucks history, has been named Honourary Chair of the 2020 Molson Canadian CARHA Hockey World Cup in Richmond.

CARHA Hockey and the CARHA Hockey World Cup are thrilled to announce Vancouver Canucks legend Kirk McLean as the Honourary Chair for the 2020 Molson Canadian CARHA Hockey World Cup in Richmond.

McLean was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in 1984, before being traded to the Canucks in 1987, where he spent the majority of his career. He was a two-time Vezina Trophy finalist, appeared in two NHL all-star games, and led Vancouver to a seventh game in the Stanley Cup Finals in 1994.

 McLean also spent time with the Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, and New York Rangers before his retirement in 2001.

 Since then, he has served as an Ambassador for the Canucks Autism Network (CAN), an organization that the CARHA Hockey World Cup is proud to support, as well as an ambassador and board member of the Vancouver Canucks Alumni Foundation.

“Kirk McLean is a fantastic representation of the Richmond and Vancouver area. He has ties to the area given his long and successful career with the Vancouver Canucks and his philanthropic connections to this community. His enthusiasm for the CARHA Hockey World Cup was evident during our first site visit to Richmond in the original bid process. Kirk being involved in the CARHA Hockey World Cup is a unique and exciting opportunity for participants to engage with a former NHL great.” says Lori Lopez, Executive Director of the CARHA Hockey World Cup.

McLean is also heavily involved in the hockey community, spending time as a goaltending coach, a broadcaster, and a part-owner of the Coquitlam Express in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL).

“The game of hockey has always brought people together in Canada, so I am excited to be the Honourary Chair of the CARHA Hockey World Cup, an event that manages to do so on an international scale,” added McLean. “As someone who has been involved in hockey in this community for a long time, it is easy to imagine the impact it will have on the passionate hockey fans of Richmond and Vancouver, and I look forward to this event capturing the attention and imagination of the community throughout the week of the CARHA Hockey World Cup.”

The CARHA Cup will run from March 29 to April 5. It is held every four years and is considered the “Olympics of recreational hockey.”

More than 2,500 participants will compete at the Richmond Olympic Oval, the Richmond Ice Centre, and Minoru Arenas over the course of the week, while staying at various hotels in the Richmond area. Spare time will be spent enjoying the city’s finest bars, restaurants, and sightseeing opportunities, resulting in an estimated economic impact of $12-15 million.