Rogers Hometown Hockey Returns for Year Two

– Rogers Hometown Hockey Tour and host Ron MacLean to visit 24 new communities
across Canada in 2015/16 –
– Tour kicks off in Kitchener, ON on October 10 & 11, 2015 –
– Sportsnet new broadcast destination for Rogers Hometown Hockey –

TORONTO, June 2, 2015 /CNW/ - Big wheels keep on turning! Following a successful inaugural season that saw more than 175,000 Canadians visit the ultimate hockey festival in communities across the country, Rogers Hometown Hockey announced today that it will be returning for a second spectacular season. The announcement was made as part of the 2015 Rogers Upfront.

Kicking off in Kitchener, ON on October 10 & 11, 2015, host Ron MacLean and the two-day hockey celebration will roll into 24 new communities during the 2015/16 NHL season, with even more hockey festivities, bigger entertainment and special guests, and all new hockey stories. Due to its overwhelming success in Year 1, Rogers Hometown Hockey will also have a new broadcast home this season, airing on Sportsnet on Sunday nights.

"Rogers Hometown Hockey represents the essence of hockey in this country," said Scott Moore, President, Sportsnet & NHL Properties, Rogers. "Sundays have quickly become an established destination night for hockey fans, which will now be available on the home of hockey in Canada – Sportsnet. We're excited to share this experience with 24 new communities across the country this upcoming season and continuing to grow the game at a grassroots level."   

"Last season we began on a journey to uncover the great hockey stories that run deep within this country's fabric, and share them with all Canadians. That backyard rink, those local heroes. Hockey in Canada is a love story – a story with no end, and we look forward to discovering our collective passion once again next year," said Ron MacLean, host, Rogers Hometown Hockey. 

In its first year, Rogers Hometown Hockey travelled 31,617km across all 10 provinces and all six times zones, featuring a weekend of free outdoor hockey festivities for all ages, including an outdoor viewing party of NHL game broadcast every Sunday hosted live onsite by MacLean from the Sportsnet Mobile Studio.

Hockey fans coast-to-coast joined in the celebration, with an average audience of 2.8 million Canadians tuning into some part of the Rogers Hometown Hockey broadcast each week, attracting an average audience of 598,000 (2+).*

More details on the 2015/16 Rogers Hometown Hockey Tour  will be announced in the coming months.

*Source: Numeris; Oct 8/14 – Apr 5/15; AvWk Reach; Ind.2+; Sportsnet & City, Total Canada

Social Media Links
Official website, Rogers Hometown Hockey www.hometownhockey.com
Facebook www.Facebook.com/RogersHometownHockey
Twitter @HometownHockey_ #HometownHockey
Instagram @HometownHockey

About Rogers
Rogers Communications is a leading diversified public Canadian communications and media company. We are Canada's largest provider of wireless communications services and one of Canada's leading providers of cable television, high-speed Internet and telephony services to consumers and businesses. Through Rogers Media, we are engaged in radio and television broadcasting, televised shopping, magazines and trade publications, sports entertainment, and digital media. Our stock is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A and RCI.B) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI). For further information about the Rogers group of companies, please visit rogers.com.

SOURCE Rogers Media