West Kelowna fire chief to drop the puck at Vancouver Canucks game
![Hughes and Brolund Vancouver Canucks Captain Quinn Hughes speaks with West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund during a visit in September. (Image credit: Canucks Sports and Entertainment)](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2023/12/7/hughes-and-brolund-1-6678610-1701997147998.png)
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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6970476.1721410082!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
The CrowdStrike outage is affecting health-care services in Canada. Here's what you need to know
A global technology outage that's grounded flights and delayed border crossings is also challenging health-care services in the country, as issues with Microsoft services persist.
Quebec woman's death warns of dangers of cosmetic surgery abroad
Brian McConnell's daughter, Florence McConnell, died after a liposuction surgery complication in Morocco. Now, he warns others against undergoing cosmetic surgeries abroad.
Interior residents get ready to flee as B.C. fire tally soars past 300
The out-of-control Shetland Creek fire in British Columbia's southern Interior has more than doubled in size due to what the wildfire service describes as "significant overnight growth" and more accurate mapping.
Polar bear 'Baffin' dies at Calgary Zoo after not resurfacing from pool
A polar bear died in its enclosure at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo on Friday.
'I feel cheated': Here are the products hit hardest by shrinkflation
Canadians who feel like they are getting less bang for their buck at the grocery store these days might be right. A new report shows the effects of shrinkflation are real.
Tentative deal to end LCBO strike on hold as province accuses union of introducing new demands
The LCBO strike appears to be back on just hours after a tentative agreement was announced.
Woman guilty of murdering, dismembering boyfriend in Nanaimo, B.C.
A 28-year-old British Columbia woman has been found guilty of killing and dismembering her boyfriend on Vancouver Island nearly four years ago.
opinion Trump's assassination attempt not a political winner
Danger and fear are so pervasive throughout the national political ethos it is now the norm, writes Washington political columnist Eric Ham.
What a Donald Trump presidency means for Canada
The most striking thing about walking the floor of the Republican National Convention (RNC) is seeing just how much this is Donald Trump's party, CTV News' Vassy Kapelos says.