from Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun,

It’s as delightful a slice of Canadiana as an afternoon on an outdoor pond with pals.

At the head of a lengthy line growing on the concourse at Sylvan Lake Multi-Plex stands Ron MacLean, signing autographs and doing what he does best — talking hockey.

On this day, he’s creating memories for kids and hockey fans in this Alberta town of 13,000 ahead of the recently played Kraft Hockeyville preseason contest featuring the Calgary Flames.

But over the next 25 weeks, a similar scene will play itself out in small-town rinks from coast-to-coast as part of his highly publicized reassignment.

Replaced on Hockey Night in Canada by George Stroumboulopoulus as part of Rogers hockey’s new world order, the 54-year-old MacLean is now the face of Hometown Hockey, airing on Citytv nationally every Sunday night.

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