The town of Navan has finally taken its place on the national hockey map. In 2010 the town entered the Kraft Hockeyville contest and ultimately fell short in trying to make the list of 10 finalists.

Players with the Navan Grads were the first customers to check out the the Quarker Breakfast Bar in the lobby of the Navan Memorial Arena. Inset, former Navan Grad Claude Giroux holds up a special jersey.

Fast forward 13 years and Navan is being featured in a Quaker Oats commercial and the canteen in the local arena has been turned into a Quaker Breakfast Bar.

News of the town’s selection for the Quaker campaign first came to light in August when a casting call was posted on the Navan Community Association website looking for local residents to appear in a commercial to be shot in Navan on Sept. 7.

The commercial was aired on Hockey Night in Canada during the Ottawa Senators home opener on Oct. 14 along with a feature on NHL veteran and former Navan Grad, Claude Giroux who was honoured during the game for scoring 1,000 career points.

In the feature, Giroux is reunited with former Grads coach Mark Grady and drops in on a Grads’ practice after which he invites the players out to the lobby to witness the unveiling of the Quaker Breakfast Bar.

Several people associated with the Navan Grads also attended the unveiling including the volunteers who man the canteen during Grads games as well as Orléans South-Navan city councillor Catherine Kitts.

Besides the canteen, Quaker Oats also had a mural painted on the arena’s Wall of Fame featuring Giroux playing in his Navan Grads #9 jersey.

In the Quaker Oats commercial, a mother is shown enjoying a bowl of Quaker Oats with her son and daughter, both of who are wearing property of the Navan Grad hoodies. It also shows the zamboni preparing the ice and a player wearing a Grads uniform skating around shooting the puck.

Both the Hockey Night in Canada feature on Claude Giroux and the Quaker Oats commercial can be viewed on the Navan Grads website at navangrads.com.