‘Shoresy' Stars On The Return Of Shoresy Fall Classic Vs. NHL Alumni

Forbes

21 hours ago

Red Wings alumni vs. the 'Shoresy' cast at Little Caesars Arena on November 11, 2024 in Detroit, ... More Michigan.
The premise that kicks off beloved Canadian TV series Shoresy is whether the titular character, a foul-mouthed veteran hockey player with a heart of gold, can make good on his bet with Sudbury Bulldogs owner Nat that if she signs him, her Triple A–level team will 'never lose again.'
Nat is contemplating folding the franchise, which is stagnating at the bottom of the Northern Ontario Senior Hockey Organization (NOSHO). But she is intrigued by Shoresy's promise, as well as the fact that his antics and reputation are sure to get 'bums in seats.'
Spoiler alert: Shoresy, played by series creator Jared Keeso, is able to deliver on both counts. The scrappy but talented team he assembles attracts an initially curious but soon devoted audience, just as the show has four seasons after premiering as a Letterkenny spinoff.
And just like the Sudbury Blueberry Bulldogs faithful, devoted fans of Shoresy will be able to see their favorite players suit up against NHL alumni in the second iteration of the Shoresy Fall Classic.
The five-game series will see cast members take the ice in five NHL markets—Detroit, Toronto, Boston, Long Island and Los Angeles—against alumni of the Red Wings, Maple Leafs, Bruins, Islanders and Kings, respectively.
Confirmed NHL alumni include former Detroit Red Wings players Darren McCarty, Joey Kocur, Mickey Redmond, Larry Murphy, Dino Ciccarelli and Justin Abdelkader; former New York Islanders players Josh Bailey, Eric Cairns, Cal Clutterbuck and Benoit Hogue, and Toronto Maple Leafs alum Darcy Tucker, with more to be announced.
Cast members who will compete in this year's Classic include Terry Ryan (Hitch), Jonathan Diaby (Dolo), Andrew Antsanen (Goody), Max Bouffard (JJ Frankie JJ), Jacob Smith (Fish), Jon Mirasty (Jim #1), Brandon Nolan (Jim #2), Jordan Nolan (Jim #3), Ryan McDonell (Michaels), Keegan Long (Liam), Bourke Cazabon (Cory) and Frederick Roy (Delaney).
The inaugural Shoresy Fall Classic in 2024 saw the cast suit up against alumni of five NHL teams, ... More including the Boston Bruins
Tickets are on sale now and include a three-tiered VIP package that enables fans to opt in to extras like a meet and greet or seating behind the team's bench. Part of the game proceeds will go to the local alumni-supported charities in each city.
More than 25,000 people attended the first Shoresy Fall Classic. Last year, two of the five venues were NHL arenas. This time around, all five venues are NHL barns—and that means a lot more bums in seats.
'We figured if we played games, it wasn't going to be in NHL arenas and against NHL teams,' said Terry Ryan, who, like his character Hitch, is a former NHL first-round pick. 'It was all overwhelming, to say the least, skating around NHL arenas with legends.'
After he was drafted eighth overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 1995, Ryan's NHL career was cut short due to an ankle injury, though he continued to play minor league hockey. So going toe to toe with NHL legends—and even scoring on them—in the Shoresy Fall Classic has been especially meaningful for him.
When Keeso and the creative team were casting Shoresy, they were more interested in finding hockey players who could act than actors who played hockey. Ryan is not the only cast member who spent time in 'The Show'; Jordan Nolan, who plays Jim #3, has won the Stanley Cup thrice, twice with the Kings in 2012 and 2014 and once with the St. Louis Blues in 2019. Jordan's brother, Brandon (Jim #2), played part of a season with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2007–08.
Ryan McDonell, who plays goalie Mark Michaels, had plenty of acting experience, including parts in beloved shows Smallville and Supernatural, and he'd grown up playing hockey, but he had never played at the junior level, which was supposed to be a requirement for anyone auditioning for the show.
But when Keeso welcomed McDonell to audition, McDonell was surprised to find that not only was he cast, but he would be playing the Bulldogs' goalie—even though he's a forward.
Over the years, he's learned more about the mysterious world of goalies ('goalies are always weird' is a frequent refrain in the show) and has been welcomed into the fold by NHL legends. During the Shoresy Fall Classic, McDonell joins the cast members on the ice as a skater, and a rotating cast of local goalies defend the net for the Bulldogs in each city.
'I've never really been able to start from the inception and craft a character, have it be received, see it grow over time and then be excited for the next scripts to see what's gonna happen next year,' McDonell said. 'It's an honor to have something like that, and as an actor it's just such a gift to get something you can continually work on.'
The cast of 'Shoresy,' including creator Jared Keeso (back center, wearing the 'C'), Terry Ryan ... More (bottom, second from right) and Ryan McDonell (bottom right).
Shoresy premiered on Crave on May 13, 2022 and on Hulu in the U.S. on May 27, 2022. While Letterkenny fans were immediately on board, Shoresy soon developed a cult following all its own. Beer league teams across North America buy the Bulldogs jersey in bulk. Puppers Golden Lager, which began as a fictional brew on Letterkenny, is now an actual beer manufactured by Labatt Breweries and the presenting sponsor of the Shoresy Fall Classic.
The show's production company, New Metric Media, had a successful run taking Letterkenny off the screen with the Letterkenny Live tour, which ran from 2018–22. New Metric CEO Mark Montefiore, who was looking for opportunities to take Shoresy on the road, joked about a Shoresy on Ice concept with Keeso and the show's creative team.
Shoresy executive producer Kara Haflidson suggested reaching out to the NHL with the idea, and then it was no longer a joke. The announcement of the first Shoresy Fall Classic was met with rabid demand; the 2024 game against Maple Leafs alumni sold roughly 7,500 tickets in less than 30 hours.
'You look around the Sudbury arena, and then a month down the road we're standing in Little Caesars Arena looking at each other on the line during the anthems…it's a pinch-yourself moment for sure,' McDonell said.
Connecting with the fans on this level—that is, by the thousands in NHL arenas—has made the cast even more appreciative of the one-of-a-kind experience they've had working on Shoresy.
'It's lucky to get a role even on one season of a series; it's luckier to get a main character on a series,' said Ryan, who worked as crew on film sets for years before landing his first acting role. 'And not only are we main characters on a series that's in its fifth season now, it makes people happy and it makes them smile. There will be actors their whole lives that will never get that chance, and I happened to fall into this.'
Ryan hails from Mount Pearl, Newfoundland—just like his character, Hitch—and now resides in St. John's. Riding his bike around town, he is constantly reminded of the impact Shoresy has had. People shout lines from the show at him, like, 'Let's get on the go now, boys!'
'I'm more proud of that…. I loved playing hockey; my first NHL game, I dreamed about it my whole life, but every time I go out, to have people yell a quote, it encompasses everything about Shoresy, to put in perspective how lucky we are,' Ryan said.
The Shoresy Fall Classic 2025 will take place between November 24 and December 14, 2025. Game dates, ticket info and more can be found here.