MISSISSAUGA, JANUARY 17, 2012 – She dressed up in her best St. Michael's Majors attire and proved herself unrivalled in Majors trivia, besting six participants to claim the "BMO Ultimate CHL Fan" title.
As the winner of the BMO Ultimate CHL Fan contest, held Monday at the BMO branch at Square One Shopping Centre, Laura Melfi will now be entered into a random draw with other BMO Ultimate Fans from across the Ontario Hockey League for a chance to win the grand prize: a trip for two to the 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup. She also won a special signed CHL team jersey with the BMO Ultimate CHL Fan crest.
"The contest is a great opportunity for BMO to deepen its relationship with the community through our shared passion for hockey, and give fans a chance to experience one of the biggest hockey events in North America," said Janet Peddigrew, District Vice-President, Mid-Western Ontario, BMO Bank of Montreal. "I'd like to thank all the enthusiastic fans who showed up in their most creative attires and congratulations to Laura for proving herself as the BMO Ultimate Mississauga St. Michael's Majors Fan."
The contest and community celebration was held to kick off BMO's new four-year partnership with the Canadian Hockey League, including the Ontario Hockey League and its member teams. Participants dressed in their Mississauga St. Michael's Majors colours, jerseys and costumes, and 3 finalists were chosen by a panel of judges, including the TheHazeFM.ca's Dave Rukavina and Majors captain Stuart Percy. They were then put to the test with trivia questions provided by the team, and Laura emerged victorious.
The grand prize winner will receive a trip for two to the 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup in Shawinigan, Quebec.
BMO Financial Group and the Canadian Hockey League recently announced BMO as the Official Bank of the Canadian Hockey League. The new four-year agreement also designates BMO as the Official Bank of each of the CHL's member hockey leagues, the Ontario Hockey League, the Western Hockey League, and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
The sponsorship builds on BMO's partnership with the CHL of more than 10 years and affirms BMO's exclusivity as a financial services sponsor of the league in the retail banking category. It also engrains a presence with the 46 teams who currently participate in the BMO CHL Affinity MasterCard program, which enables CHL fans to support their favourite teams through branded credit cards.
For more than 193 years, BMO Financial Group has believed in community reinvestment and corporate and social responsibility in the communities it serves. In 2010, BMO contributed more than $54 million in donations, sponsorships and events in Canada and the United States to groups, organizations and programs that help build and sustain resilient, vital and healthy communities.
In the front row of the photo, from left to right are: Majors players Riley Brace, Stuart Percy, and Dylan DeMelo. In the back row from left to right are: Square One Branch Manager Tariq Ahmed, Ultimate Fan Laura Melfi, runners-up Ms. Roche and Scott Waldie, and BMO Personal Banking Area Manager Anthony Tintinali.
