Wheatland Kings to serve at Boston Pizza as a team fundraiser

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Switching from jerseys to aprons, the Agra Risk Wheatland Kings will be working the floor of Strathmore’s Boston Pizza to raise money for the organization later this month.

Cody Holdaway, the team’s general manager, explained the family restaurant has been a longtime supporter of the Kings and they are proud to be working together on this idea.

“I think it is actually going to be fun not only for the fans, but for our players. On Jan. 25, there are two seating times, but our players will essentially be the servers, so they will be the staff taking care of you that night,” he said. “It’s the first time our organization has ever done a midseason fundraiser like this, but it has definitely been done by other teams in other leagues and around the junior hockey scene for sure. It’s actually a pretty popular fundraiser among other teams and I figured it was just a good way to raise some more money for the club ahead of what is anticipated to be a pretty big playoff run.”

Holdaway said after pitching the idea to Boston Pizza, their team did not hesitate to jump on board.

The idea being to create a new opportunity for fans and families to meet and connect with the players in an environment outside of the arena, as well as to support ongoing operations.

“Running a junior hockey team, it is expensive, and as I’m sure everyone knows, the cost of things isn’t going down. Just like everyone else’s family, everything we do at the rink and outside the rink is getting more expensive too,” said Holdaway. “The more money that we can put in the team bank account is always better. It’s going to help get our bus down the road for months and years to go.”

Holdaway suggested 10 per cent of proceeds from the event would go towards the team.

The players, he added, continue their pattern this season of being particularly eager to jump on board when it comes to participation throughout the local community.

“When I pitched it to my leadership group, they were actually pretty excited. I think it is going to be fun for the players as well to connect with the people (who) support this team on a deeper, more personal level,” he said. “When the players are down at ice level in full gear, playing hockey, they don’t get to talk to the people who come to every home game and support the team. I think it is going to be good for them as well.”

Though not confirmed, Holdaway said he would be on board with seeing this becoming an annual event for the Kings to participate in.

The two seating times being made available are from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the day of the fundraiser. Seating may be reserved at Boston Pizza ahead of time, as both organizations are anticipating the restaurant to fill quickly.