Young Canadian players can compete for chance to attend the 2012 NHL® All-Star Game in Ottawa

TORONTO, Sept. 7, 2011 /CNW/ - Do you have what it takes to win the title of Canada's most skilled youth hockey player? Canadian Tire Hockey School™ (CTHS) and the National Hockey League® (NHL) today announced the launch of the Canadian Tire NHL Junior Skills Competition. Fifteen regional qualifying competitions will run across Canada through December, 2011.  The strongest contenders will compete in the Canadian Tire NHL Junior Skills National Championship in Ottawa during the 2012 NHL® All-Star Game weekend (January 29-30, 2012).

"I'm looking forward to seeing fellow hockey school members competing in and enjoying these events," said Jonathan Toews, founding member of CTHS™, and winner of the Stanley Cup® and a Canadian Olympic Gold Medal. "I know the thrill of competing, winning and the camaraderie in competitions like the NHL® All-Star Skills Competition, and I'm excited that Canadian Tire and the NHL can bring this experience to Canada's minor hockey players."

Canadian Tire, Canada's largest hockey retailer, is providing young hockey players (ages 7 to 12) an opportunity to showcase their skills at a national level. Youth hockey players will compete in a series of four challenges modelled after the NHL® All-Star Skills Competition: fastest skating, shooting accuracy, puck control and passing accuracy. The winning players overall will travel to Ottawa to compete in the Canadian Tire NHL Junior Skills National Championship, attend the 2012 NHL® All-Star Skills Competition and the 2012 NHL® All-Star Game at Scotiabank Place. Winners will be selected from three age groupings, in the boys and girls division.

"As Canada's largest hockey retailer, Canadian Tire is the home of hockey - the place where many Canadians go for their first pair of skates or hockey stick," said Mike Arnett, President of Canadian Tire Retail. "Most importantly, we want to give our young hockey school members the chance to experience the fun and thrills that NHL players like Jonathan get to experience."

"We are proud to offer a new national youth hockey competition program that will provide a platform for youth hockey players to test their skills against their peers. Our goal is to celebrate their dedication to the sport by giving these talented players the most pronounced NHL experience possible at qualifying and championship events," said Brian Jennings, the NHL's Executive Vice President of Marketing. "Our alliance with Canadian Tire expresses precisely what we've envisioned as it relates to the reach, scale and power when partnering with such an iconic Canadian brand."

As an official partner of the NHL, Canadian Tire continues to be a valuable partner in the development of grassroots initiatives across Canadian communities. With the successful launch of the Canadian Tire Hockey School (CTHS) in August 2010, the NHL and Canadian Tire continue to design platforms that extend and engage family activity while establishing youth skill development.

Canadian Tire Hockey School offers opportunities for kids and parents to learn more about hockey. From on-ice tips and tricks from NHL® alumni to helpful advice on equipment and training, these events offer a fun and interactive way to learn more about the game so many Canadians love.

Visit www.canadiantirehockeyschool.ca to join the school and register for a chance to participate in one of 15 upcoming Canadian Tire NHL Junior Skills Competition qualifying events in your local community.  Ultimately everyone who registers has a chance to make it to Ottawa, beyond the regional winners, 10 lucky wildcard winners will be randomly selected to join the festivities.

Confirmed Canadian Tire NHL Junior Skills Competition qualifying events include:

About Canadian Tire
Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited (TSX:CTC.a) (TSX:CTC) is one of Canada's most-shopped general retailers and the country's largest sporting goods retailer, with more than 1,700 retail and gasoline outlets from coast-to-coast. Our primary retail business categories - Automotive, Living, Fixing, Playing and Apparel - are supported and strengthened by our Financial Services division, which offers such products and services as credit cards, retail deposits, in-store financing, product warranties, and insurance. Nearly 68,000 people are employed across the Canadian Tire enterprise, which was founded in 1922 and remains one of Canada's most recognized and trusted brands.

About the NHL
The National Hockey League, founded in 1917, is the second-oldest of the four major professional team sports leagues in North America.  Today, the NHL® consists of 30 Member Clubs, each reflecting the League's international makeup, with players from more than 20 countries represented on team rosters. According to a Simmons Market Research study, NHL fans are younger, more educated, more affluent, and access content through digital means more than any other major professional sport. The NHL entertains more than 250 million fans each season in-arena and through its partners in national television (VERSUS, NBC, TSN, CBC, RDS, RIS, ESPN America, ASN and NHL Network™) and radio (NHL Radio™, Sirius XM Satellite Radio and XM Canada).  Through the NHL Foundation, the League's charitable arm, the NHL raises money and awareness for Hockey Fights Cancer™ and NHL Youth Development, and supports the charitable efforts of NHL players. For more information on the NHL, log on to NHL.com.

About Jonathan Toews
Born in Winnipeg Manitoba, Jonathan Toews is a Stanley Cup® Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist.  Toews currently plays for and is team captain of the Chicago Blackhawks, making him currently the youngest captain in the NHL, and the third youngest full captain in NHL history.  The fully bilingual Toews competes internationally for Team Canada, having won gold medals at the 2005 World U-18, the 2005 World U-18 Hockey Challenge, 2006 and 2007 World Junior Championships, 2007 World Championships, and the 2010 Winter Olympics (a tournament in which he was named Best Forward). Toews won the Stanley Cup in 2010, becoming the second-youngest captain ever to win the Stanley Cup®, and was presented with the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP. After winning the Cup, Toews passed Peter Forsberg as the youngest player to be inducted into the Triple Gold Club.  As recognition for his ongoing contribution to his community, In July 2010 the City of Winnipeg gave Toews the Keys to the City.

NHL, NHL All-Star Game, the NHL Shield and the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup are registered trademarks and NHL Junior Skills and NHL All-Star Skills Competition are trademarks of the National Hockey League.  Canadian Tire, the Canadian Tire triangle design, Canadian Tire Hockey School and CTHS are trademarks of Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited.

Image with caption: "Jonathan Toews, founding member of Canadian Tire Hockey School™, is joined by youth hockey players to announce the Canadian Tire NHL Junior Skills Competition. Finalists will compete in the championships during the 2012 NHL® All-Star Game weekend in Ottawa. Visit www.canadiantirehockeyschool.ca for details. (CNW Group/Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited )". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20110907_C9057_PHOTO_EN_2911.jpg