Boston Bruins legend Zdeno Chara and ‘Shoresy’ creator and star Jared Keeso face off to open the 2025 Shoresy Fall Classic game at TD Garden in Boston
Michelle Bruton
In Shoresy, the acclaimed Canadian series created by Jared Keeso, the only thing dirtier than the titular character’s mouth is his play on the ice, as captain of the Sudbury Blueberry Bulldogs of Ontario’s fictional NOSHO league. However, in short order, Shoresy (portrayed by Keeso) captures viewers’ hearts, largely because his own is made of gold.
And as Shoresy has amassed a rabid following around the world, Keeso has used the enormous popularity of his hit series (along with its predecessor, Letterkenny) to do real good. Last year, the show’s production company, New Metric Media, debuted the Shoresy Fall Classic, in which the show’s cast, many of whom have played hockey at some professional or semiprofessional level, would take on NHL alumni in games across North America.
Each Shoresy Fall Classic game benefits alumni-supported charities in each city.
Demand for the first annual Shoresy Fall Classic was rabid. The 2024 game against Maple Leafs alumni sold roughly 7,500 tickets in less than 30 hours.
Forbes‘Shoresy’ Stars On The Return Of Shoresy Fall Classic Vs. NHL AlumniBy Michelle Bruton
On December 7, however, the event saw its highest attendance to date when more than 10,000 fans streamed into Boston’s TD Garden to see the cast take on Bruins alumni, including former captain and Hall of Famer Zdeno Chara.
The Sudbury Blueberry Bulldogs gave the Bruins legends (a group that also included Andrew Ference, Bob Sweeney and Andrew Raycroft) a run for their money, running up the score to a 14–14 final result. Keeso had promised that if the Bruins were able to drop 10 on the Bulldogs, the visitors would remove their “tarps” (shirts) and skate a hard lap, and when that happened early on in the second period, the Bulldogs kept to their word as Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing” played over the PA system.
There was no checking in the game and only one “fight,” but fans were entertained for both 20-minute periods, as well as an intermission shootout that counted toward the game’s final high score.
In Shoresy, the game’s best player earns the “game stick” (a Drumstick ice cream cone). At the end of play, cast member Terry Ryan, who plays Ted Hitchcock, presented the game stick to Ference, against whom Ryan did actually play in the Western Hockey League.
Then Keeso and the cast presented Sweeney, who is president of the Boston Bruins Foundation, with a check for $20,000 to benefit the organization. Fans were able to appreciate what the foundation does to support youth hockey players as they took to the ice for a scrimmage between periods (officiated by Keeso).
The Shoresy cast and Boston Bruins alumni pose with a $20,000 check for the Boston Bruins Foundation
Michelle Bruton
Shoresy is indisputably a breakout success story. But what Keeso, the cast and New Line Media have been able to do to parlay its popularity into a charitable force that has made a difference in communities across North America has been even more notable.
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