Click here to register your team for the 2010 Walter Gretzky Street Hockey Tournament

When filmmaker Kevin Smith first learned about the Gretzky family, he never imagined he would get the chance to stage a press conference with Canada’s most famous hockey dad.

On Wednesday, a dream came true, as he and Walter spoke to the press at Wayne Gretzky’s Restaurant in Toronto to announce their plans for the fourth annual Walter Gretzky Street Hockey Tournament.

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Wayne Gretzky Estate Winery was awarded Best of Show in the Assemblage Category for its 2007 Estate Series Shiraz Cabernet at the 22nd annual Cuvée wine Awards. This is the second year in a row for the wine to achieve a top score in this competitive wine category.

Gretzky Winery also was awarded gold medal designation for the 2007 Estate Series Cabernet Merlot. The gold medal designation indicates the general consensus among the judging panel that while not the top scoring wine in the category, the wine was of a superior quality level that it could win at International competition.

2010 continues to build on the success the winery experienced last year, winning top awards in 3 different national competitions in 2009. This is the third best of Show award for the Gretzky Estate Series Shiraz Cabernet in the last year alone. As an added benefit to wine fans hoping to get a bottle, the wine is being released today to Vintages stores across Ontario.

Cuvée is the annual awards competition for the Ontario wine industry, commonly referred to as the ‘Oscars’ for Ontario Wines. The red carpet gala was held Friday February 19th in the Grand Ballroom of the Fallsview Casino. The competition, judged by an independent panel of experts and Ontario Winemakers is a ‘blind’ tasting of the province’s best VQA wines.

This year, 45 winemakers tasted over 200 wines from 56 wineries to determine the winners. In addition, during the judging process, judges are asked to indicate if wines merit a Cuvée Gold designation, demonstrating international standards for excellence in quality.

Click here for more information on Wayne Gretzky Estate Winery.

The two men known respectively as “Mr. Hockey” and “The Great One” are hopeful that Team Canada can win gold at the Vancouver Olympics, but they say it will be a tough competition.

Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky spoke out about the chances for the men’s hockey team when they gathered in Saskatoon for a sports celebrity dinner Friday.

“They’ll win,” Howe said when asked for his prediction in an interview with The Canadian Press before the gala. “Unless they lose,” he quipped.

“But I think they’ve got a strong a port of hockey players.”

Howe said he saw the team practise and thought they were very good.

“They’ve got some of the elderly statesmen who have been around the game for a while and if that rubs off on the younger ones they’ll be doing fine.”

Gretzky’s prediction came before a crowd of more than 1,200 people at the dinner where Prime Minister Stephen Harper, a well-known hockey historian, refereed a conversation between “The Great One” and “Mr. Hockey.” Gretzky said the game will come down to two things.

“One, goaltending. I always told Marty Brodeur ‘You don’t like hearing this Marty but the pressure’s on you’ and he would always tell me ‘I know.’ Secondly, if your best players play at the calibre they’re capable of playing at under high scrutiny then they’ll be fine,” said Gretzky.

Gretzky said Team Canada is a favourite to win a gold medal, but unfortunately will play against some tough teams, including the Russians, the Czechs, the Swedes and the United States.
“Competition’s going to be great and I think it’s going to be exciting and I think it’s going to be great for the country. Hopefully we’re in that gold medal game and get a chance to win gold again.”

“It is our game. It is our country,” said Gretzky.

“This will be the one place in the world that come February 28th will shut down in the afternoon so everybody can watch a hockey game and you just don’t get that in any other country.”

The 40-minute long conversation with Howe and Gretzky was like a dream for hockey fans as the men talked about the future of the game and its past. Gretzky recalled that he was 10-years-old when he first met Howe, his hockey idol. The men would later face off on the ice.

“The first game we played I was 17-years-old and I remember skating around the warmup and thinking ‘Oh my goodness I’m playing against Gordie Howe,”‘ said Gretzky.

“Gordie was over there and he was looking at me, he was winking to me and he was telling me ‘Good luck.’ So the first shift I go down and I lifted his stick up and I got the puck and I’m going back the other way and he came down the ice and he gave me a whack in the hand and I went ‘Oh my goodness.’ And he got the puck and he went back the other way.”

“I said ‘I’m never taking the puck from him again.’ That was it,” laughed Gretzky and the crowd.
Toward the end of the conversation, Harper asked the men about their worst or toughest moment in their long hockey careers.

“My first punch on Rocket’s nose,” joked Howe. “No, not really. I think Rocket was mad at me. I beat him at golf.”

Howe said in the interview that he’s too old to skate for Team Canada now, but joked that “maybe” the team can win without him.

“I hope they do,” said Howe. “If they play well and everything falls in line they’ll do it. If they don’t they should be respected for the effort they’re putting in.”

As an official PGA Nationwide Tour event, the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic presented by Samsung returns for its third year and features celebrities and amateurs paired with 160 professionals in a Pro-Am formatted golf tournament.

When:

• July 5-7 – Practice Rounds
• July 8-9 – Tournament Play
• July 10-11 – Final Round

Where:

• Georgian Bay Club (July 5-11) and the Raven Golf Club at Lora Bay (July 5-9)

Georgian Bay Club and the Raven Golf Club at Lora Bay are nestled beautifully in the Thornbury / Collingwood area, just one hour from Toronto, Ontario.

Further details, including players, media accreditation, ticket sales and volunteer registration will be disclosed in the coming months.  Keep checking www.gretzky.com/golf for details.

Wayne Gretzky Estate Winery is proud to announce that the world’s greatest hockey dad, Walter Gretzky will be appearing at the Winery two weekends in December for a special autograph session of Wayne Gretzky Estate Wines.

Walter will be at the winery between 12:00 and 3:00pm this Saturday December 12th and Saturday December 19th. Walter will be signing customers’ bottles and gift packages of Wayne Gretzky wines available at the store.

Since its inception in 2007, Wayne Gretzky Estate wines has received numerous awards and accolades for its distinctive portfolio of premium wines. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of every bottle goes to the Wayne Gretzky Foundation.

“Having my own winery in Niagara allows me to contribute to the growing reputation of wines from a region that’s close to my heart and to my home town.  Each wine has been created in the service of my foundation and I am very proud of the fact that with every bottle you enjoy, we’re able to help kids in communities across Canada.” – Wayne Gretzky

This is a wonderful opportunity for the public to meet one of hockey’s most popular and enigmatic icons and have access to winery exclusive products and holiday packages sure to become a true collector’s item.  For more media enquiries or to contact the winery call 905.562.4945.

Click here for directions to the winery.

Click here to enter the Samsung Seeks Mobile Explores Contest

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the Official Worldwide Olympic Partner in Wireless Communications Equipment, is searching for people to share their WOW moments during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The company has launched the Samsung Mobile Explorers contest where the eventual winners will experience the Games in a unique and exciting way.

Through the online contest, Samsung will be selecting five teams of two that will travel to Vancouver and share their Olympic experiences through regular postings to a Samsung Olympic-website as well as their personal blogs and social media accounts. The contest is part of Samsung’s overarching Vancouver 2010 campaign which includes Samsung’s Wireless Olympic Works (WOW), a mobile communications platform specifically developed to keep Olympic officials, athletes, media and even fans connected and informed during the Olympic Games.

“This once-in-a-lifetime experience will put our Samsung Mobile Explorer teams front-and-center on the world’s biggest stage,” said Benjamin Lee, President and CEO, Samsung Electronics Canada. “This prize will allow the eventual winners to use Samsung mobile technology, including the Samsung Omnia II Olympic hero phone, to interact and share their personal WOW moments.”

Canadians interested in learning more about the Samsung Mobile Explorers and how to enter can visit the Samsung Vancouver 2010 website – www.samsung.com/vancouver2010. Video entries should demonstrate your team’s experience and interest with blogs and social networking, ability to seek-out and generate buzz and general excitement about Canada’s hosting of the 2010 Games.

During the contest period, Canadians will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite eligible entries and 10 semi-finalist teams will be determined based on the number of votes received. A panel of Samsung judges will then score the top 10 entries based on each team’s ability to creatively demonstrate their social networking capabilities. The five teams to receive the highest total score will become Canada’s Samsung Mobile Explorers.

“Along with giving 10 Canadians a unique Olympic experience, we are hoping our Mobile Explorers will be able to experience the global community that the Games creates and to expand  their social networks by interacting with other Samsung Mobile Explorers from the U.S., South Korea, China and Russia,” said Lee. “This contest is just the latest example of Samsung’s ongoing commitment to supporting the Olympic movement and making the Games accessible to everyone.”

The 10 Canadian Samsung Mobile Explorers will be joined by 47 explorers from the U.S., Russia, China and South Korea. In order to promote the Samsung Mobile Explorers program, two, 30-second viral videos have been posted to major social networks. The basic concept for the viral videos is based on humour and to demonstrate how Samsung Mobile Explorers might capture their own “WOW” moments. 
“The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games are certain to offer plenty of WOW moments, both from the competitions and from the cultural experiences offered around the Games. Our Samsung Mobile Explorers will capture and share their adventures with people around the world,” said Gyehyun Kwon, Vice President and Head of Worldwide Sports Marketing, Samsung Electronics, Co., Ltd. “This program is another great opportunity for Samsung to enhance our overall Olympic campaign and deliver a truly unique perspective from Vancouver.”

Starting in Athens 2004 Olympic Games to Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Samsung has been providing its wireless technology for seamless communication among Olympic VIPs, delegates, and organizing staff.  For the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Samsung will continue to provide the latest and best in Olympic Games wireless communications with improved accessibility and, for the first time, will be launching its first Public WOW Application providing users with real-time Games updates and results – making Olympic Games information available anywhere, anytime.

The Canadian Samsung Mobile Explorers will receive round-trip, economy-class airfare to and from Vancouver, accommodation for 20 nights, meals and two Samsung Omnia II mobile phones. The contest is open to Canadian residents that have reached the age of majority in their province of residence. Entries must be received by December 6, 2009.

For more information regarding the Samsung Mobile Explorers program, please visit www.samsung.com/vancouver2010.

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About Samsung Electronics Canada Inc.

Samsung Electronics Canada, Inc. (SECA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., markets a broad range of award-winning digital consumer electronics, information systems, telecommunications and home appliance products. SECA upholds Samsung’s mission to provide consumers with innovative digital convergence products that possess exceptional technology, quality, features, performance and value.

Samsung has been a global TOP sponsor of the Olympic Games since 1998 and has been a presenting sponsor of the Olympic Torch Relay from 2004 to 2008.  Also through Samsung’s Four Seasons of Hope charity, Samsung helps athletes and celebrities raise funds for their respective charities, including the Wayne Gretzky Foundation in Canada.  Samsung is also a proud sponsor of Hockey Canada and the Toronto Football Club.

For customer service inquiries, please call 1-800-SAMSUNG (1-800-726-7864), and for more information, please visit www.samsung.com.

Click here to enter the Samsung Seeks Mobile Explores Contest

Fifteen lucky young Canadians converged in Calgary today to take part in a once-in-a-lifetime hockey clinic with hockey legends Wayne Gretzky and Hayley Wickenheiser.

The Samsung Hockey Camp for Kids kicked off with breakfast and a motivational speech from Wickenheiser, captain of Canada’s Women’s team and two-time Olympic gold medalist.  Following breakfast, the day included five on-ice skills clinics and a scrimmage match with Gretzky and Wickenheiser, and off ice training with Hockey Canada Trainers.  Winners were also treated to one-on-one meet-and-greet sessions and had their photos taken with the hockey stars.

“At Samsung, we understand that passion for hockey begins at a very young age and we were overjoyed to provide this unique experience to 15 aspiring young hockey stars,” said Benjamin Lee, President and CEO, Samsung Electronics Canada.  “The number of entries we received was overwhelming, and while there were many compelling submissions, we feel that the group today were deserving boys and girls that truly exemplify the meaning of sportsmanship, both on and off the ice.”

“I am thrilled to be a part of Team Samsung and to share my passion for hockey with people from across the country,” said Hayley Wickenheiser.  “As an aspiring young athlete, I was extremely fortunate to be surrounded by people who provided the much-needed support and encouragement to get me where I am today.  It was a real honour to work with some of Canada’s youngest hockey enthusiasts, and I can only hope that my participation today helps inspire these kids to pursue their hopes and dreams.”

A panel of judges from Samsung and Hockey Canada selected the winning entries from hundreds of online submissions on the Samsung Hockey Camp for Kids website.  Earlier this fall, parents and guardians were invited to nominate their child (ages seven to 14) and, in 300 words or less, explain how he or she best exemplifies Samsung’s key hockey values – fair play, team work and skills improvement.  The winners and one parent/guardian received roundtrip airfare and accommodation in Calgary for the duration of their stay.

Winners were selected from coast-to-coast and include:

• Myah Bowal, Age 9, Terrace, BC
• Tyler Egglestone, Age 10, Whitehorse, YT
• Grady Franklin, Age 8, Deloraine, MB
• Abbey Franklin, Age 10, Deloraine, MB
• Cameron Harvey, Age 10, North Saanich, BC
• Matthew Hood, Age 10, Fredericton, NB
• Louis Larochelle, Age 10, Montreal, QC
• Nathan Ledbury-Swales, Age 11, Barrie, ON
• Cole McEachern, Age 13, Barrie, ON
• Lauren Pillisch, Age 12, Markdale, ON
• Lauren Pye, Age 7, Auburn, NS
• Rock Ruschowski, Age 12, Calgary, AB
• Catherine Turner, Age 13, Airdrie, AB
• Myriam Wright, Age 10, St-Jacques, NB
• Marissa Zuchetto, Age 10, Mississauga, ON

Along with the contest, the Samsung Hockey Camp for Kids website collected funds for Hockey Canada’s “Dream Come True” community initiative – a program that funds hockey fees and equipment purchases for underprivileged children across Canada.  Samsung matched every dollar donated and a total of $10,000.00 was raised.

The Samsung Hockey Camp for Kids is part of the company’s Team Samsung campaign.  Through the campaign, Samsung has partnered with an all-star line-up of hockey’s greatest players, including Wayne Gretzky, Hayley Wickenheiser and Jarome Iginla, to help make hockey more accessible to kids and to build excitement for the sport as the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games approach.

I’m still trying to get my head around why the Oilers celebrated their “30th anniversary season” in 2008-09, which was the franchise’s 36th season, including its 29th in the NHL. (The lockout season does NOT count in my books — fridiculous!)

From an NHL perspective a whole bunch of 30th anniversaries will take place in 2009-10. This week marks three decades since that first NHL training camp. What an exciting time it was to be a hockey fan! The past twelve months had already seen…

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I’m pleased that today’s decision by Judge Baum resolves much of the uncertainty surrounding the Phoenix Coyotes.   This positive step will now allow the organization to focus all its energy on the current season.  I’m confident the team will build on their early successes and renew the loyalty of many hockey fans in the Phoenix area.  I know the NHL will now do its utmost to find an excellent owner for the franchise going forward.

I wish for nothing but the best for the Phoenix Coyotes, their fans and the City of Glendale.

- Wayne

Canadian baseball hero, Justin Morneau and wife, Krista made a surprise visit to Wayne’s winery located in Vineland, Ontario this week.  Justin and Krista visited for an hour enjoying No. 99 Estate whites and No. 99 Estate reds.  Both talked about their own private wine cellar and how they enjoyed drinking our wines with Wayne and Janet.  Justin especially appreciated the Wayne Gretzky Estate Shiraz Ice Wine.  A great ending to Justin and Krista’s visit was meeting winemaker Craig McDonald.  Click here to learn more about Wayne Gretzky Estate Wines.