Hundreds of people filled Lou Jefferies arena in Gananoque, Ont., to celebrate the life of the late Gord Brown who served as Member of Parliament for Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau lakes.

Brown held an annual charity hockey game for the past eight years to raise money for the United Way and this is the first year that Brown was not a part of the game, after passing away in May 2018. The game was renamed the Gord Bown Memorial Hockey Game.

“It’s a wonderful way to honour his memory and all the hard work that he has done,” said Claudine Courtois, Brown’s widow.

The game saw former National Hockey League players and politicians of all levels take to the ice to pay tribute to Brown.

“It is an honour to be here and see a lot of old friends like Jim Dorey who was one of my heroes growing up,” said former NHL player Rick Smith.

Steve Clark, who is the MPP for Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, told Global News that the Canada 150 rink that was awarded to Gananoque was the perfect gift to Brown, due to his passion for hockey and community.

“Gord was a brother to me. We travelled around the riding for many years. We had similar dreams for the riding.” Clark continued by saying, “It’s truly fitting that the outdoor rink is coming to this community that was at Parliament Hill and it is wonderful that the United Way is benefiting as well.”

The outdoor rink will be named the Gord Brown Memorial Canada 150 Rink and is set to open next year.

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