NHL legend Reggie Leach coming to Yukon Native Hockey Tournament

The countdown is on to the 39th annual Yukon Native Hockey Tournament, and organizers are busy sorting outlast minute details andpreparing for some big-name guestswho will be in town for the event.

Former NHL player and Stanley Cup winner Reggie Leach is one of thoseguests.

"We are happy to have Reggie back.He's been here before as our guestin 2010, and then he came up as our guest again for 'Hockey Day in Canada' in 2011," saidKaree Vallevand, coordinator of the Yukon Indian Hockey Association.

"He's a good friend of the tournament."

Leach will hostbook signings at tournament venues over the weekend to promote his new book, The Riverton Rifle: Straight Shooting on Hockey and on Life,that documents his experiences in overcoming hardshipto rise through the NHL ranks.

Country music star Aaron Pritchett will also make a special guest appearance at this year's tournament.

"He's a big hockey fan, so he's agreed to come up as part of the Teslin Minor Hockey Initiative and he's going to sing OCanada, and drop the puck for us at the final game," saidVallevand.

The Yukon Native Hockey Tournament will host 43 teams competing across sixdivisions this year. Teams are coming in from Northern B.C. and acrossthe N.W.T.andYukon. The tournamentgets underway in Whitehorse on Apr.1.