Day one of the 2008 Jr. NHL All-Star Tournament – Squirts – kicked off at the Cooler early this morning. As each team checked in they received authentic team jerseys, Gatorade towels and water bottles, along with NHL messenger bags full with 2008 All-Star memorabilia.

NHL legend Pat Quinn stepped behind the bench for the Nashville team as their guest coach. Coincidentally, Quinn’s daughter used to work in the front office for the Predator’s team – which gave the team a personal connection to their honorary coach! Before taking the ice, he spoke to the team about the Predators history and their former star Peter Forsberg. Quinn gave them words of encouragement and wished them a good game!

David Ouimet, a member of the Atlanta Thrashers Hockey Development Team, was Pat Quinn’s escort for the day…

“When I first talked to the team [Nashville] and met the players, I went in there to get the team excited about meeting Pat Quinn, but my job wasn’t hard, they were already fired up and ready for him! It was great … he graciously stayed long enough for everyone to get pictures and autographs. Even at this age (9-10), it’s a thrill to see them [players] so appreciative of his time – not to mention their NHL messenger bags and all the perks that the tournament is providing!”

Joining Quinn in the guest coach responsibilities was Atlanta Thrashers Associate Head Coach, Brad McCrimmon, who joined ranks with (who else) the Thrashers squirt team – led by Coach Scott Pearson.

Also making appearances at the Cooler were Dan Kamal, Thrashers Radio Play-by-play announcer, and Darren Eliot, Thrashers TV Color Commentator and Community Hockey Liason. Eliot’s oldest son, Mitch, plays for the Atlanta Fire Squirt team and is also a member of the Thrashers team represented in the Jr. NHL All-Star Tournament.

A common theme amongst the teams was how excited everyone was for this one-of-a-kind tournament in conjunction with the 2008 NHL All-Star Weekend!

Mitch Hatchett, a Carolina parent from Raleigh, NC, was thoroughly impressed with the event….

“This is a first class tournament, everything is done top notch as far as planning and preparation…everything is covered down to the last detail including transportation! The kids love the fact that they have the guest coaches, they love their bags from the NHL, their hats and pins… we’re very impressed!”

Whether their teams won or loss, there was certainly an electricity in the air as all the kids were exciting about participating in not only the tournament, but all the associated All-Star events.

All participants are going to attend all of the All-Star events! In fact, they will all be lining the red carpet leading into the Young Stars Skill Competition where they will get an opportunity to take pictures and get autographs with all the NHL All Stars and celebrities attending.

Stay logged on for the most up-to-date information on tournament scores and the experiences that these teams will have at the 2008 NHL All-Star Weekend!