A crowd of 15,000 or more is likely at Canterbury Park on Sunday for “Extreme Race Day.” Back for a third consecutive year is camel and ostrich racing. These are non-wagering races that have entertained past audiences as part of “Extreme Race Day” that also includes horse races featuring unusual matchups, surfaces and distances. Gates open at noon with the first race at 1:30 p.m.
Ken Lien watched Kahalid El-Amin’s team win the Howard Pulley summer league playoff title last week and recalled that of all the Mr. Basketball winners through the years El-Amin had more “will to win” than any of them. El-Amin, who won the award in 1997, went on to win a national title with Connecticut and has been playing overseas for years. Lien is still a leader with the Mr. Basketball program.
Zach Parise, a native of Faribault and a former Shattuck-St. Mary’s star, is ranked No. 1 on NHL.com’s list of U.S.-born players. In his fourth season with New Jersey, Parise finished third in the league with 45 goals and added 49 assists for 94 points in 2008-09.
The Houston Aeros, the Wild’s AHL affiliate, have announced Mark LeRose as the new assistant coach of the team. LeRose, 39, is a native of Aspen, Colorado and has previous minor league hockey coaching experience.
Michael Forney, a Thief River Falls native, signed a multi-year contract with Atlanta. Forney led the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League with 60 points (26-34-60) in 59 games in 2008-09. Forney helped Green Bay win the Anderson Cup as regular season champions and led the team as it completed the biggest season turnaround in USHL history (50-point improvement in the standings.)
NHL coaches and former players will be at Saint Paul’s RiverCentre for USA Hockey’s 2009 National Coaches Symposium, August 12-15. The event is part of USA Hockey’s Level 5 coaching certification – the highest level in its coaching certification program. (See a list of speakers at https://www.usahockey.com/Template_Usahockey.aspx?NAV=CO_05&id=265846).
Tonight (Friday) the Lynx play at Target Center against former Gopher Lindsay Whalen and her Connecticut teammates. Friday is Breast Health Awareness Night and the Lynx players will wear all-pink uniforms. On Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Macy’s Rotunda of the Mall of America, the players will participate in a cancer fund-raising event, “Catwalk for a Cure.” Their runway modeling will display the latest fashion in support of the Minnesota Lynx and Jean Stankoski foundations that help increase breast cancer funding and awareness in the state. There will also be an autograph session and silent auction on Saturday. Ticket and other information about Saturday’s activities is available at 612-673-8400.