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Earlier this week, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal was presented with a Calgary Hitmen jersey customized to his size.
Shaquille O’Neal, who was in Calgary earlier this week playing as DJ Diesel at the Chasing Summer Festival at the Max Bell Centre Festival Grounds, was given a custom-made Hitmen jersey to match his 7’1′′, 325-pound body.
Harvey Cohen, VP of Live Nation and founder and talent booker of Chasing Summer, presented the Lakers legend with the jersey.
One of Bret’s “Hitman” Hart’s kids came up with the concept for the jersey, which has the moniker “Diesel,” and Shaquille O’Neal’s usual No. 34. The Western Hockey League team is named after Hart, a five-time WWF Champion, and two-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion.
Van de Leest, a former captain of the Hitmen, joins the Rebels after playing with Calgary for 235 regular season and postseason games and scoring 79 points (9 goals-70 assists). The Hitmen initially picked the Kelowna, British Columbia native with the 16th overall choice in the 2016 WHL Draft.
Stevenson, a native of Calgary, has played in 41 WHL games for Red Deer and is returning home. He was picked by the Rebels in the second round of the 2018 WHL Draft.
The Calgary Hitmen announced the dates and locations for their 2022–2023 regular season. The 28th Western Hockey League campaign for the Hitmen will go off on Friday, September 23, at the Innovation Credit Union i-plex with a home and home series against Swift Current. The club will then fly back to Calgary and play in their first home game against Swift Current at the Scotiabank Saddledome. On September 24, the game will begin at 7:00 p.m. MT.
Calgary will play 68 games in the 2022–23 season, with 34 at home and 34 away. The Scotiabank Saddledome will host 28 home games this season, while the Tsuut’ina Nation’s Seven Chiefs Sportsplex will host six. The Calgary Hitmen have a second home at Seven Chiefs Sportsplex because of Tsuut’ina Nation’s assistance and collaboration, including the 2020–2021 Covid bubble season. The first preseason game against Red Deer will be played on September 9 at Seven Chiefs, which will also host the Hitmen preseason camp starting in September.
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