For the Reporter
The Seattle Thunderbirds and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western Washington and Alaska (RMHC) present the 2015 Hockey Challenge at the ShoWare Center on Saturday, Feb. 21.
The T-Birds play the Everett Silvertips at 6:05 p.m. followed by the local Celebrity and T-Birds Alumni All-Star Game.
The all-star game features Team Furness vs. Team Top Shelf.
Sports host Ian Furness from KJR 950 AM will coach his squad. Team Top Shelf will be coached by Top Shelf from the BJ Shea Experience on 99.9 FM KISW. Steve The Producer from the BJ Shea Experience will be the goalie for Team Furness.
Team Top Shelf will feature a special celebrity player. Chris Zasche, bassist for the popular band, The Head and The Heart, will play for Team Top Shelf. Chris wore a T-Birds jersey on a recent appearance by The Head and The Heart on the “Late Show with David Letterman“.
The T-Birds have set up a special promo code for tickets to the challenge for fans of The Head and The Heart. Fans should follow the band on their Twitter and Facebook pages to find out how they can have $4 from every ticket purchased go directly to the RMHC.
Local chef Jason Wilson will also be skating in the all-star game. Wilson owns the Miller’s Guild and Crush restaurants in Seattle. He is a longtime hockey player.
Bill Wixey from KCPQ 13 TV will be slotted on either Team Furness or Team Top Shelf.
Mike Butters, a NHL Scout for the Tampa Bay Lightning for three years from 2008 to 2011, will also take part in the vhallenge for the second consecutive year. Butters is a character actor and has appeared in the Saw franchise, D2 – The Mighty Ducks, 100 commercials and 20 television shows.
Butters, who lives in Seattle, played professional hockey for six years from 1989-90 to 1995-96 with the Greensboro Monarchs of the ECHL, Fort Wayne Komets of the IHL, Adirondack Red Wings of the AHL, Halifax Citadels of the ALH, New Haven Nighthawks of the AHL, Fresno Falcons of the SuHL and the Bakersfield Fog of the WCHL.
Six former T-Birds – Brendan Witt, Ryan Gibbons, Jamie Huscroft, Brett Duncan, Regan Mueller and Danny Lorenz – will be divided up among Team Furness and Team Top Shelf. Former Tacoma Rocket Jamie Butt will also play in the all-star game. There is the possibility more former T-Birds are added to the roster in the coming days.
The eight captains of teams taking part in the challenge, top donors to the hockey challenge and other local celebrities will be divided up evenly among Team Furness and Team Top Shelf.
There will be a 30-minute autograph session with the celebrities, T-Birds alumni and select T-Birds players from the time doors open at ShoWare Center until the beginning of warm-ups for the T-Birds vs. Silvertips game.
A ticket gives fans access to all challenge events on Saturday, including the T-Birds game that night against the Silvertips.
The celebrity autograph session starts at 5 p.m. and will go until 5:30 p.m. The celebrity game is scheduled to start after the T-Birds game ends.
The Microsoft teams playing the Challenge games will be announced by February 12.
Purchase tickets to the challenge fans at the ShoWare Center box office or go online to the T-Birds website.
T-Birds group tickets for the challenge are on sale and can be purchased by calling 253-239-7825.
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