DETROIT — What started as a spin-off of a popular Canadian comedy TV show is now taking its cult-favorite status into the real world, straight out of Sudbury.
The Sudbury Blueberry Bulldogs — or at least, the actors-slash-athletes behind the team from the show "Shoresy" — are making several stops at rinks across the East Coast and Midwest on a North American tour.
Instead of the team's fictional NOSHO opponents like the Soo Hunt or Les Rapides De Rawdon, the Bulldogs will be taking on real-life NHL alumni teams local to each rink.
One of those stops is at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, home of the Detroit Red Wings, with the Bulldogs facing off against the Detroit Red Wings alumni.
The roster has yet to be revealed for the Red Wings, who usually ice a team with fan-favorite players like Stanley Cup winners and Wings legends Darren McCarty, Larry Murphy and Mickey Redmond, but the Bulldogs announced some heavy-hitters for their side of the ice.
Not all of them are unfamiliar with pro-hockey opponents, either.
Highlights on the Bulldogs roster include Terry Ryan, better known by fans as Ted "Hitch" Hitchcock, a former first-round draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens with a meager amount of NHL games but a significant amount of time in the minors. Ryan recently came out of retirement to notch a game with the ECHL's Newfoundland Growlers during the team's final season.
Bulldogs bruiser Jon "Nasty" Mirasty, who plays Jim #1, has played hundreds of professional games across over a dozen leagues with somewhere around 2,000 penalty minutes.
Brandon Nolan, Jim #2, played some time at all levels of North American pro hockey, with six games with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2007-08.
Jordan Nolan, Brandon Nolan's brother and Jim #3, has the most significant professional experience of the bunch as a seventh-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings with eight seasons and 375 games in the NHL, and three Stanley Cup championships.
Of course, not to be forgotten is Jared Keeso, the award-winning creator and writer of "Letterkenny" and "Shoresy." The headlining actor of the series, Keeso doesn't need to act to play hockey, as he also has some experience at a senior level.
The Bulldogs roster will also include Jonathan "Dolo" Diaby; Andrew Antsanen, who plays Goody; real-life Sudbury native Jacob Smith, who plays Fish; and JJ Frankie JJ's actor, Max Bouffard.
The Red Wings versus Blueberry Bulldogs matchup at Little Caesars Arena is Nov. 11. Tickets are available through presale now for the recently-announced Detroit game.
More information is available at the Shoresy Classic's website at this link. Presale passcodes for tickets are "BULLDOGS" and "GAMESTICK" at Ticketmaster with all presales ending Oct. 3 at 10 p.m.
If you miss that deadline, tickets go on sale for the general public Oct. 4 at 10 a.m. Be sure to set the tone by then, because like other stops, it's likely they will sell out fast.
