Vancouver Canucks players, management and alumni were in Surrey Wednesday (Sept. 11) to play golf during an annual season-kickoff tournament.
The 36th edition of the Jake Milford Charity Invitational – better known as “The Jake” – is played on the two courses at Northview Golf and Country Club, on 168th Street.
Teams of three pay $4,500 to play in the event, which last year raised more than $386,000 for the Canucks for Kids Fund and Canucks Alumni Foundation.
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The tournament is played in honour of Jake Milford, the Canucks’ general manager in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He died of pancreatic cancer in 1984.
• RELATED: Canucks players talk golf game at annual tourney in Surrey, from 2018.
Petey in #SurreyBC talking to @Sportsnet650 at “The Jake” tourney, @NorthviewGolfCC. @_EPettersson https://t.co/YUs9Ow8vJj pic.twitter.com/RY9I2JPEGJ
— Tom Zillich (@TomZillich) September 11, 2019
No pressure @_EPettersson, just @ahadwingolf recording your swing! 😬 #TheJake2019 pic.twitter.com/jyMsD7cvfM
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) September 11, 2019
Training camp starts tomorrow... which means today we host our 36th Annual Jake Milford #Canucks Charity Invitational Golf Tourney with the full team, dozens of @canucksalumni and 200 generous golfers!#TheJake2019 pic.twitter.com/C8dmdpol6D
— Canucks For Kids (@Canucksforkids) September 11, 2019
Last year at Northview, goaltender Jacob Markstrom said the tournament is a great way to kick off the hockey season.
“It’s a fun event,” he told the Now-Leader. “I thought it’d be more competitive than it is, and I won it with the team I was with last year, but you get the most heat and told you’re cheating if you do win,” he added with a laugh.
“We meet new people, new teammates, and get to know them, and it’s for a great cause, too. It’s the bigger picture,” Markstrom said. “The golf is really secondhand to the charity on that. When this tournament comes around, you know it’s time for hockey season soon. It’s good to see everyone and have some fun, and then we go to work in Whistler (where the team’s training camp was held in 2018). It’s fun before the seriousness starts tomorrow.”
The tournament includes an online auction posted to jakemilfordauction.com, with bids closed at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday (Sept. 11). The 55 items include autographed jerseys, game tickets, concert tickets, golf and travel packages, and unique things like a “Be in the Canucks Team Photo”, a “Fin Appearance at Your Child’s Birthday Party” and “Caddy for Your Favourite Canuck.”
The NHL team opens its 2019-20 training camp Thursday (Sept. 12) at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, followed by on-ice sessions at Victoria’s Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre starting Friday (Sept. 13). Pre-season games get going on Monday (Sept. 16), followed by the Canucks’ season-opener Oct. 2 in Edmonton. The team’s home-opener is on Wednesday, Oct. 9 against Los Angeles Kings.
Single-game tickets for the team’s 50th season go on sale Tuesday, Sept. 17 starting at 10 a.m. Pacific time.
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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