West Kelowna fire chief to drop the puck at Vancouver Canucks game

Vancouver Canucks Captain Quinn Hughes speaks with West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund during a visit in September. (Image credit: Canucks Sports and Entertainment)

The men and women who protected B.C. communities during this year’s historic wildfire season will be in the spotlight Thursday night at Rogers Arena for the Vancouver Canucks’ inaugural Firefighters’ Night.

West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund, who became the face of the firefighting effort against the McDougall Creek blaze that forced over 10,000 people out of their homes and damaged or destroyed nearly 190 properties, will have the honour of dropping the puck at the game.

"If (Prince Harry) can do it, then I should be able to pull it off,” Brolund told Castanet.

Canucks Captain Quinn Hughes visited the West Kelowna Fire Department in September to deliver a $250,000 donation to the Canadian Red Cross’ B.C. wildfire appeal.

“Having the chance to meet and thank the firefighters in West Kelowna days after being named captain was a truly special start to my year,” Hughes recalled in a news release this week.

“These are some serious hockey players and fans, and I told them that day that I wanted them to come to a game to say thank you,” he continued.

That time has come, as Brolund will be joined by several fellow members of the West Kelowna Fire Department, as well as Vancouver Fire Chief Karen Fry, president of the Vancouver firefighters’ union Katrina Davidson and BC Professional Firefighters Association president Todd Schierling.

"It's good for the morale of my staff. Everybody's been really looking forward to it. And we appreciate the Canucks hosting us and their generosity," Brolund said. “It's gonna be a really neat experience."

The game against the Minnesota Wild Thursday also serves as a fundraiser for the BC Professional Firefighters’ Burn Fund, with a portion of ticket sales going to the fund and limited-edition merchandise.