Score!

That's how Mayor Bev Buckway is viewing next year's annual Hockey Day In Canada after learning Thursday afternoon the city will host the annual CBC telecast focused entirely on hockey in February.

"This is great for the City of Whitehorse,” she told the Star this morning. The community will receive great exposure throughout the rest of the country as well as the northern U.S., she noted

"That's also exciting,” she said.

The CBC's decision to feature Whitehorse comes after it decided last year to head north as part of its continuing efforts to have the event in every part of the country. The only territory where Hockey Day In Canada has been hosted during its 10 years is Nunavut, with Iqaluit having done the honours in 2003.

That left producers looking at either Whitehorse or Yellowknife as the next site for Hockey Day In Canada.

In Whitehorse, a committee made up of representatives from the city, Sport Yukon and other groups explored the possibility of hosting the event.

Coun. Ranj Pillai and a representative from Outside the Cube consulting, who was there on behalf of Sport Yukon, travelled to Stratford, Ont. in February for the 2010 event.

CBC producers made visits to both capital cities following the Stratford telecast before deciding on Whitehorse.

"Obviously, there's a lot of passion for the game of hockey up there,” Joel Darling, CBC Sports' director of production, told the Star this morning when asked why Whitehorse was selected. "There's a real interest for the city.”

Beyond the passion Whitehorse residents have for the game, Darling also pointed to the scenery and facilities like the Canada Games Centre.

The telecast also features a number of outdoor shots and Darling said producers already have a few sites in mind.

"We certainly took a look at Shipyards Park and saw that would be a great (spot),” he said.

The mayor is wondering if there are some sites that could be visited where Hockey Night In Canada co-host Ron McLean might have played hockey during his childhood, when he lived in the territory for a few years.

"That's a real draw,” she said of having the TV personality in the city.

McLean will, of course, be joined by his colourful co-host Don Cherry.

"Don and Ron will both be there,” Darling said.

It's unknown what other CBC personalities and hockey stars might come. However, as Darling pointed out, past Hockey Day In Canada activities have featured the likes of Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Wendel Clark and Jeff Marek, among many others.

The CBC will be working to firm up hockey and CBC officials who will be part of the telecast over the coming months.

"I think it's still a little of a ‘To Be Announced,'” Darling said.

Still, officials have their own ideas, with the CBC now focusing on how it will portray the city's enthusiasm for hockey and the community focusing on how it will make the most of the events around the telecast.

Stratford, for example, had many events in the lead-up to Hockey Day In Canada, ranging from hockey clinics to banquets to junior hockey games.

The committee that pushed for the CBC to come here will likely meet next week and decide its next steps in forming the new organizing committee, similar to committees that spearheaded the 2007 Canada Winter Games and previous Arctic Winter Games, Pillai said this morning.

Without wanting to give away too much of what he envisions for the event and what happens beforehand, Pillai noted his hope it can involve the entire territory.

He envisions residents, especially kids, living in the communities coming into the capital for clinics and so on, as well as giving those watching at home throughout the country and northern U.S. the chance to take in that "great northern flavour”.

Buckway said one of the things she most enjoyed about watching Hockey Day In Canada this year was also getting a good sense of Stratford beyond the focus on hockey.

"You get a sense of the overall community,” she said, noting the picturesque views of Whitehorse that could be part of the telecast.

While she may have once jokingly challenged the mayor of Yellowknife to an arm-wrestle over who would get to be the host city, Buckway now says she's excited at the prospect of remote broadcasts from the capital cities of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, in taking a pan-northern approach.

She also said Whitehorse's Hockey Day In Canada events will likely include many of the staples that have been part of the annual telecast – the Stanley Cup making an appearance, banquets, hockey clinics and so on.

Just what it will cost the city to have the many events is also an unknown. In Stratford last year, about $115,000 was spent on the events, with the city putting $15,000 toward it.

As planning begins, Buckway and Pillai say experience hosting a multitude of major events in the city will serve organizers well. They noted as well they've heard that experience was another determining factor in the CBC opting to come to Whitehorse for it.

"There's a phenomenal volunteer core,” Pillai said.