Joe Sakic to join Colorado Avalanche alumni game against Vail Yeti at Dobson

Stephane Yelle and Joe Sakic were part of the two Stanley Cup titles in Colorado Avalanche history (1996, 2001). The two played over 1,000 games in Avs uniforms over their careers. This weekend at Dobson Ice Arena in Vail, Sakic and Yelle will join other Avalanche alumni for the third annual Avalanche Alumni Weekend benefitting the local Vail Mountaineer Hockey Club.

The weekend kicks off with a Top Shelf Casino Night on Friday, Sept. 13, featuring an impressive silent auction. On Saturday, Sept. 14, youth hockey clinics will take place with Avalanche alumni as well as a meet and greet during the day followed by the Avalanche Alumni team facing off against the local Vail Yeti at Dobson at 7 p.m.

“I can’t imagine how crazy the crowd is going to go for Joe Sakic when he hits the ice,” said Trista Sutter, fundraising director for the Vail Mountaineer Hockey Club. “We are really excited to be able to put it on again this year.”

Funds raised go to the Vail Mountaineer Hockey Club, which offsets about 40% of its fees each year to make the sport accessible to local youth.

Tickets to Casino Night are $60 or $100 for two; youth clinics are $35 per child, for kids born in 2001-2010; and tickets to the alumni game versus the Yeti are $30 or $50 for two, and $10 for kids 12 and younger. Prepurchase tickets online at vmhc.schoolauction.net/aaw, and sign up for the Mountaineer hockey club at http://www.vailmountaineers.com. Registration is currently underway for the season.

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Other alumni in Vail for the weekend include Peter Budaj, former Avs goaltender; Cody McLeod, who you might remember throwing an octopus into the crowd in Detroit during the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs; Pierre Turgeon, who played 79 games with the Avs over two seasons; Vail resident John-Michael Liles, an Avs defensemen who played over 500 games for Colorado; 2001 Stanley Cup champ Rick Berry; Yelle; and Sakic, among others.

Altitude TV reporter Kyle Keefe will also be part of the weekend, as well as Bernie the mascot and the Avalanche Ice Girls.

“It’s really sweet to see the kids lighten up and see these guys that they look up to,” Sutter said of the kids meeting the athletes.

As for the Yeti, however, they will have to meet the Avs Alumni on the ice at Dobson.

“It’s all, of course, to benefit Vail Mountaineer Hockey Club,” Sutter said. “We want to help out our local families.”

Casino Night at Dobson will feature a DJ, casino tables and a silent auction, including VIP tickets to “The Voice”; tickets for the “The Bachelorette After the Final Rose” and “Women Tell All”; a VIP experience at Pepsi Center with Jake Schroeder, frequent national anthem singer at Avs games; lots of Avs memorabilia; gift cards to local businesses; and more.

Saturday’s meet and greet takes place at Grey Salt from noon to 3 p.m., the same time as the youth hockey clinics. At Grey Salt, located in Solaris, 20% of proceeds from the weekend will benefit the Vail Mountaineer Hockey Club.

The puck drops at 7 p.m. at Dobson Ice Arena in Vail on Saturday for the Avalanche Alumni versus Vail Yeti hockey game. One of the auction items from Friday’s Casino Night will get young skaters on the ice during the pregame at Dobson — next to Joe Sakic.

Avalanche Alumni Weekend

Friday, Sept. 13

Casino Night

• Where: Dobson Ice Arena, Vail, 6-10 p.m.
• Cost: $60 or $100 for two
• More information: DJ, casino tables and silent auction kick off the Avalanche Alumni Weekend

Saturday, Sept. 14

Youth Hockey Clinics

• Where: Dobson Ice Arena, Vail, noon to 3 p.m.
• Cost: $35 per skater
• More information: For children born in 2001 to 2010

Avalanche Alumni Meet and Greet

• Where: Grey Salt, Vail, noon to 3 p.m.
• Cost: Free
• More information: Meet the Avalanche Ice Girls and other Avalanche alumni

Avalanche Alumni vs. Vail Yeti

• Where: Dobson Ice Arena, Vail, 7 p.m.
• Cost: $30 or two for $50, $10 for kids 12 and younger
• More information: See the Avalanche Alumni team play the local Vail Yeti

Assistant editor Ross Leonhart can be reached at 970-748-2984 and rleonhart@vaildaily.com. Follow him on Instagram at colorado_livin_on_the_hill.