A much-loved former Maple Leafs player will help Rogers Hometown Hockey make its debut in the territories next month.

Darcy Tucker will join the Ron MacLean-led tour in Whitehorse Jan. 23 and 24.

Rogers released a preliminary schedule of events this morning.

The 40-year-old Tucker is an Alberta native who spent the lion’s share of his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

He also played for the Montreal Canadians, Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche, finishing his NHL career with 215 goals and 476 points in 947 games.

The gritty forward also piled up 1,410 penalty minutes in that time.

Tucker spent his junior days with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League.

In 1995, he won gold with Team Canada at the world juniors.

The two-day hockey celebration will get underway at noon Jan. 23 from the banks of the Yukon River on Front Street, between Wood and Main.

It will conclude Sunday night with the Rogers Hometown Hockey outdoor viewing party.

The game coinciding with the Yukon weekend will feature the Calgary Flames and Carolina Hurricanes, with a special pre-game show hosted live on site by MacLean.

The event will air on Sportsnet beginning at 3:30 p.m. PST, featuring MacLean alongside co-host Tara Slone.

The free hockey-themed weekend will feature games, activities, live local entertainment and food trucks for the whole family, including:

• Rogers Share Everything Zone: fans can engage in unique interactive experiences, including virtual autographs with NHL players;

• Scotiabank Community Locker Room: featuring meet and greets with NHL Alumni, interactive games and a Scotia Hockey Club commemorative jersey giveaway for youth 16 and under;

• The Dodge Stow ‘n’ Go Challenge as well as a chance to win a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan and $5,000 for a local minor hockey association;

• Sportsnet Be a Broadcaster: call an NHL game highlight reel alongside Sportsnet Central anchor Evanka Osmak;

• PlayStation: fans can try some of the latest PlayStation 4 games, from family fun to sports gaming favourites, in the PlayStation gaming zone;

• McDonald’s Ball Hockey Rink: including pick-up games and hockey skills competitions, personalized hockey cards, as well as free McCafé brewed coffee on site;

• The Lodge: a cozy place to enjoy a free hot chocolate inside a warming lounge, complete Adirondack chairs with built in Texture by Next Issue and more.

Saturday’s festival event will run from noon to 6 p.m., while Sunday’s festivities will be held from 11 a.m. to the end of the outdoor viewing party.

A full event schedule and broadcast details will be released in the coming weeks.

Leading up to the celebrations in Whitehorse, local hockey teams have an opportunity to win the ultimate hockey experience as part of the Rogers Cheer Like Never Before contest.

Teams can upload a video of their team cheer, with the top-five vote-getters invited to take part in the festivities when the Hometown Hockey tour visits the Yukon capital.

The winning team in each town will then be in the running to win the trip of a lifetime, including a trip to an NHL game, VIP Game Day Experience, and performance their team cheer in an NHL dressing room.

For full contest details, visit www.hometownhockey.com.

The Rogers tour, presented by Scotiabank and Dodge, will roll into 24 communities across Canada this season with a weekend of free outdoor hockey festivities for all ages, culminating in an outdoor viewing party of an NHL game broadcast every Sunday on Sportsnet.

Following Whitehorse, the tour will visit New Westminster, B.C., Feb. 13 and 14 for the 17th of 24 stops.

It’s been nearly five years since Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada took place here, Feb. 12, 2011.

“It’s a really great opportunity,” former city councillor John Streicker told the Star in September.

“We’re proud of this place and we have a lot to show the rest of the country. We’re winter happy, hockey crazy ... All of us know that the Yukon is a great place to be in the winter, but not all of our visitors know that.”