Wildfires abate for NHL rookie camp to go ahead in Penticton, B.C.
CTV
A rookie tournament for four of Canada's NHL teams appeared in jeopardy a short time ago.
A rookie tournament for four of Canada's NHL teams appeared in jeopardy a short time ago.
As wildfires ravaged the hillsides of nearby West Kelowna, heavy smoke and accommodation demands for emergency responders forced the cancellation of Penticton’s biggest annual event, Ironman Canada, on Aug. 29.
The Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets and Vancouver Canucks running their September rookie tournament in the southern Okanagan was in question.
“A couple of friends of mine from Kelowna me sent some pictures and the entire mountain was in flames,” said Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland, who grew up just north of Kelowna in Vernon., B.C.
“For about four or five days there, maybe a week, it was very, very scary.”
Property damage was extensive, but favourable winds and tireless efforts from firefighting crews brought the blazes under control.
NHL prospects played two-touch soccer on the plaza outside Penticton's South Okanagan Events Centre under clear, blue skies and in late-summer temperatures after convening for their four-day tournament ending Monday.
