Lacombe is one step closer to hosting the 2019 Allan Cup after the announcement of Viking Projects Ltd. as the title sponsor of the event.
The announcement was made by 2019 Allan Cup Committee and the host team — the Lacombe Generals, including General Manager Jeff McInnis who likened the upcoming event to the Generals winning the Allan Cup.
“Today you wake up and you go, ‘This is another big thing for us’,” McInnis said. “I think it will be a big event and I hope it will leave an impression on our community forever.”
McInnis hopes they will be able to host an event that Central Albertans remember for a long time.
“When you renovate your house or get your landscaping done, you want to have people over to see it,” he said.
“We are proud of the facility, the community support and the people that believe in us. It is a chance to show off what we think is pretty cool.”
McInnis said the support of Viking allows them to achieve their goal of hosting a polished, fun event — similar to Rogers Hometown Hockey which was in Lacombe in February.
“This gives the tournament a foundation,” he said.
“We had a bunch of ideas, but how are you going to do it without sponsorship? It can’t happen without it. We would fall flat on our face if we didn’t have people that believed in us.
“Viking saying, ‘Hey, we believe in that,’ makes it all real.”
There isn’t currently a dollar sum associated with the sponsorship, however McInnis said they will iron that out along the way.
“They are committed to being that foundation host and it is up to us to figure out how we do that,” he said.
Former Lacombe mayor and 2019 Allan Cup Committee Chair Steve Christie said the event will need the help of the community in order to be a success.
“You can get a hold of the Generals, the Allan Cup committee or you can get a hold of me,” he said. “We need a lot of volunteers. We know that we are piggybacking on a big event just south of us in 2019, so hopefully some of those volunteers will still be in the spirit and will move a bit north to help us out as well.
“The committee is well underway in making this happen. They are working hard and we are open to people coming out and helping out however they would like to.”
He added, “It is huge and it is a big thing for Lacombe. Everyone on the committee is so excited to be involved and to see this happen.”
