Canada's Hockey Store Supports Canadian Tire Wickenheiser World Female Hockey Festival For Second Year

Fifteen Young Women From Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Get In The Game With Wickenheiser, Courtesy Of Canadian Tire

CALGARY, Nov. 27, 2014 /CNW/ - Today, Canadian Tire and four-time Olympic Gold medallist and Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities Ambassador Hayley Wickenheiser announced the official start of the fifth annual Canadian Tire Wickenheiser World Female Hockey Festival (Canadian Tire WickFest). To celebrate the sport of hockey and the young women who play the game, Canadian Tire is pleased to fund 15 youth from the Rankin Inlet Rock to participate in the tournament. 

Canadian Tire WickFest, taking place at WinSport at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary from November 27-30, 2014, provides young female hockey players with the opportunity to engage in world-class competition, make friends from around the world, improve their hockey skills and learn from the best. Over the course of four days, over 1,500 athletes between the ages of eight to 18 from 78 teams around the globe will come together in Calgary to compete and connect while building positive hockey experiences across all levels.

"Canadian Tire WickFest is a chance for me to help the next generation of female players gain valuable knowledge and skills as they participate in development camps, off-ice clinics and workshops while most importantly, having fun," said Hayley Wickenheiser, four-time Olympic gold medallist and Jumpstart Ambassador. "I believe every kid deserves the chance to develop the confidence, teamwork and leadership skills that come with participation in organized sport and I am really proud to join Canadian Tire in welcoming the Rankin Inlet Rock to my tournament."

In keeping with its strong support of sport and community in Canada, Canadian Tire sponsored the Rankin Inlet Rock, a team of 15 girls from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, to play in Canadian Tire WickFest, that wouldn't have otherwise had the financial means to participate. The team received an all-expenses paid trip to participate in the tournament as well new hockey equipment.   

"The Canadian Tire Family of Companies believes that sport builds strong communities, unifies the nation and has the power to change lives," said Kim Saunders, Associate Vice-President, Canadian Tire Corporation. "That's why we have made a commitment to help Hayley celebrate the sport of hockey and the young women who play the game. We are also extremely proud to have enabled The Rankin Inlet Rock to participate in Canadian Tire WickFest because every kid deserves the chance to fulfill their sporting dreams."

Canadian Tire WickFest is the only festival of its kind and continues to draw substantial interest from the international female hockey community.

About Canadian Tire Wickenheiser World Female Hockey Festival (Canadian Tire WickFest)
Canadian Tire WickFest is the dream come-to-life of six-time Olympian Hayley Wickenheiser and is run in partnership with Girls Hockey Calgary and Rocky Mountain Female Hockey League. Over the course of four days more than 1,500 players will compete and connect while building positive female hockey experiences across all levels. Further details at: www.wickfest.com

Follow the tournament on Facebook and Twitter using #ctwickfest.

About Canadian Tire
Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited, (TSX:CTC.A) (TSX:CTC) or "CTC," is a family of businesses that includes a retail segment, a financial services division and CT REIT. Our retail business is led by Canadian Tire, which was founded in 1922 and provides Canadians with products for life in Canada across its Living, Playing, Fixing, Automotive and Seasonal categories. PartSource and Gas+ are key parts of the Canadian Tire network. The retail segment also includes Mark's, a leading source for casual and industrial wear, and FGL Sports (Sport Chek, Hockey Experts, Sports Experts, National Sports, Intersport, Pro Hockey Life and Atmosphere), which offers the best active wear brands. The nearly 1,700 retail and gasoline outlets are supported and strengthened by our Financial Services division and the tens of thousands of people employed across the Company. For more information, visit Corp.CanadianTire.ca.

SOURCE CANADIAN TIRE CORPORATION, LIMITED

Image with caption: "Four-time Olympic Gold medallist, Hayley Wickenheiser and Kim Saunders, Associate Vice-President at Canadian Tire, kick-off Canadian Tire WickFest with The Rankin Inlet Rock and coach Mikki Adams. The team received an all-expenses paid trip to participate in the tournament from Canadian Tire as well new hockey equipment. (CNW Group/CANADIAN TIRE CORPORATION, LIMITED)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20141127_C4799_PHOTO_EN_8657.jpg

Image with caption: "Canadian Tire Wickenheiser World Female Hockey Festival (CNW Group/CANADIAN TIRE CORPORATION, LIMITED)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20141127_C4799_PHOTO_EN_8664.jpg