Friday marked the one-month countdown to the drop of the first puck at the 2011 TELUS Cup, and to celebrate the occasion the host St. John’s Privateers unveiled their honorary captain for this year’s National Midget Championship – Allan Hawco from CBC’s Republic of Doyle.

Hawco is a native of Goulds, N.L., and still plays rec hockey at Goulds Arena, where the Privateers play their home games. He is the co-creator, executive producer, writer and star of Republic of Doyle, a detective series set in St. John’s.

“We are extremely thrilled to have Allan become a part of our team as we enter final preparations for the TELUS Cup,” Tim Power, team manager for the Privateers. “Having our team based out of the Goulds Arena all season, we have been scouting Allan for a while and have been impressed by his never-say-die attitude, knack for knowing what it takes to win in the end and an ability to take a punch every now and then.”

The Privateers clinched the Newfoundland & Labrador Major Midget Hockey league championship on March 12, and see the ice next at the Atlantic regional championship, which is set to begin on March 31 in Charlottetown, P.E.I. They’re looking to become the first TELUS Cup host team to win league and regional championships since Red Deer in 2007.

In addition to the Hawco announcement, the host committee also used Friday’s press conference at St. John’s International Airport to unveil a number of new sponsors for the 2011 TELUS Cup, which opens April 18.

In addition to the Province of Newfoundland & Labrador, which was previously announced, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, City of St. John’s, Destination St. John’s and St.  John’s International Airport Authority are community sponsors of the event, while Pennecon, TryTheTrades.ca and Fortis Properties are champion sponsors.