Aurora’s New Jersey Reds savour their “Golden Moment”

February 5, 2014 · 0 Comments

By Jeff Doner

Aurora’s New Jersey Reds atoMc hockey team was served up a special treat after winning the first round challenge of the McDonald’s Golden Moments program recently.

After submitting photos of their team into the contest and garnering the most total votes, the team was treated to breakfast and then presented with some personalized gear at the Aurora McDonald’s on Allaura Boulevard.

“They’re obviously all pretty exited, but I don’t even think they all really knew what was going to happen until they got here,” said head coach David Hall.

The atoMc hockey program sponsors atom house league teams across Canada. Each team is sponsored with jerseys and other sports wear at the beginning of the season and have chances to win various prizes throughout the year.

Hall said the partnership has only been positive for his team.

“It’s been great. They sponsor the league and we have a special gold shirt program that we give out after every game to the MVP and that’s what this is all about really,” he said. “But it also gives them all something else to strive for – to listen to the coach, do what they’re supposed to do and then produce that on the ice. I think it’s a great program.”

Each year every team in the program is also entered in a contest for the chance to win an end of season celebration with an atoMc ambassador, such as Drew Doughty, Marc-Andre Fleury or Tessa Bonhomme.

“It’s a unique program and something that we’ve never really done before, so it’s just really exciting for the team and it involves community involvement and spirit. It promotes teamwork as well and healthy active living lifestyles for the kids, because they’re our future,” said Mae Law-Moore, brand manager and community relations for McDonald’s.

Law-Moore also said the program has been successful in promoting valuable lessons for young athletes and brings the community together to vote and support their teams.

“This is something that is really exciting, especially having somebody in your own community win and to have something to be proud about, because it wasn’t just because of the parents, but it was also the people of Aurora to actually spend the time every day voting for the team,” she said. “It brings the community together to all support one another.”

Tiger Liam Morassutti was one of the many excited players to see what McDonald’s had in store for his team that day.

“It felt really exciting, because we got to come and receive a prize for how hard we worked and I think the prizes are really great and we’ll use them well,” he said. “It feels really fun because we can run around with our new bags and sweaters.”

For more information on the atoMc hockey program, visit www.hockeycanada.ca/atomc