from the Jerusalem Post,

The owners of six NHL teams have stepped to ensure that upcoming Maccabiah ice hockey tournaments will continue as planned.

Given the venue, a small Upper Galilee town close to the Israel-Lebanon border, and the hot, sun-drenched climate of July in the Middle East, Maccabiah ice hockey until a few months ago seemed a wildly unlikely proposition.

Happily, thanks to generous sponsor support to match the players’ enthusiasm, it’s definitely happening and the pucks are set to drop.

Teams from Canada, Russia, Israel, Ukraine and the USA signed up for Open and Junior (aged 16-18) tournaments over July 19-26 in Metulla, which boasts the country’s one-andonly full-sized rink, recently refurbished by the Games Organizing Committee, including equipment imported from Scandinavia.

Six NHL team owners each donated to assist participation: Daryl Katz (Edmonton Oilers); Henry Samueli (Anaheim Ducks); Ed Snider (Philadelphia Flyers); Larry Tanenbaum (Toronto Maple Leafs); Cliff Viner (Florida Panthers) and Jeff Vinik (Tampa Bay Lightning).

In addition, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Joe Cohen of Los Angeles also contributed to support the tournament.

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