Vancouver, B.C. - Vancouver Canucks centre Ryan Kesler was hard at work but in a different sort of role on Thursday afternoon, bagging groceries and chatting with staff and fans at a local Save-On-Foods in North Vancouver. Kesler surprised visitors at the Save-On-Foods at Park and Tilford, and made sure to remind everyone that hockey is back. Fans quickly rushed to the store after reading Kesler's Twitter post that he had arrived at the Save-On-Foods with the humourous hashtag #cleanuponaisle17".

Kesler’s enthusiastically worked alongside Save-On-Foods staff and joked with fans as he signed cakes in icing at the bakery section and packed groceries at checkout stands. “It’s a little different from what I’m used to but I think there’s some transferrable skills. You’ll have to ask the store manager if he wants me back,” said Kesler.

More than just providing bagging service to unsuspecting customers, Kesler gave away Canucks tickets for Opening Weekend, jerseys and merchandise. “We are lucky to have amazing fans in this city,” said Kesler. “It’s always great to be able to meet them, have some fun and to personally thank them for their support.”

The Canucks announced plans to host a special home opening weekend of games in honour of the passion and support shown by loyal fans. A memorable weekend of tributes, in-game experiences, merchandise and food discounts and prizes will open with a season ticket holder dropping the puck and close with the fan-favourite ‘Jerseys off our Backs’ tradition.

The puck drops on the regular season at Rogers Arena this Saturday, January 19th at 7:00 pm versus the Anaheim Ducks. The game will be broadcast on Hockey Night in Canada and Team 1040 Radio. Tickets for Opening Weekend are still available. Fans can go to canucks.com/tickets for more information and a complete broadcast schedule.

Video link:

http://youtu.be/kOqKtSgzQWM