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This homecoming will be special for MacKenzie Weegar.

The Calgary Flames defenceman only gets back to Ottawa once during each National Hockey League season. Still, before he suits up against the Ottawa Senators on Monday night, he’ll be back in one of his old haunts.

The 30-year-old Weegar, in his eighth full NHL season, will be on hand Sunday afternoon before the Central Canada Hockey League’s Nepean Raiders face the Cornwall Colts to see his jersey No. 52 pulled to the rafters of the Yzerman Arena at the Nepean Sportsplex.

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Weegar suited up for one season with the Raiders before he left to join the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Halifax Mooseheads, but he made his impact felt with 13 goals, 37 assists and 50 points in 53 games in 2011-12.

“It’s one of those moments when you lay in bed and think about it that you can’t believe it,” Weegar told the Ottawa Citizen from his Calgary home on Friday. “It’s quite the honour, but it’s going to be special just having all my family and friends there.

“It will be weird to be back in the Sportsplex because you relive those moments, and there will be quite a few people there.”

The season Weegar spent as a 16-year-old with the Raiders was special. That club won the CCHL title and advanced to the Fred Page Cup. He was approached by the Mooseheads midway through the season to join them, but  and though Nepean coach Peter Goulet urged Weegar to make the jump, he opted to stay.

“It was a year that made a huge impact,” Weegar said. “It felt like the NHL to me because I was a late bloomer. I was asked to play for Mooseheads and said no because I was too committed to the Raiders. I wanted to stay with this team, and Peter was pushing me to go.

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“We were having a bit of a battle because I chose to stay and we won the championship because I felt the loyalty to him as a coach and my teammates. I felt like after that year I could turn this into a living and I could see being a hockey player after that.”

He did leave after the season and had a chance to play with Nathan MacKinnon in Halifax. His mother, Louise and uncle/agent Matt Ebbs both encouraged Weegar to take the next step.

“It was tough leaving home the first time. I cried like a baby leaving. I remember being on the front porch, crying, when I was going away,” he said.

Selected No. 206 overall by the Florida Panthers in the 2013 NHL draft, Weegar has had to work for everything. He split the 2014-15 campaign between the ECHL and American Hockey League. He also spent two more full years in Springfield before making the Florida Panthers’ roster in 2016-17.

Weegar signed an eight-year, $50-million U.S. deal with Calgary in October 2022 after he was dealt to the Flames as part of the trade that sent forward Matthew Tkachuk to Florida.

The journey hasn’t been easy for Weegar.

“I was carving my path in minor hockey. I was playing for the ‘A’ team when there was a ‘AAA’ team. I was always a step or league behind,” Weegar said. “You stay motivated and dedicated and you have great support behind you with my friends and family.

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“That’s why this is so special. You can’t just carve your path alone. You have to have people around you. Sunday isn’t just about me, it’s about everybody that’s helped me get to this point of getting a jersey retired. I have a lot of people who carved that path with me and I owe that to them as well.”

The Raiders will also give Randy Watt, a coach, general manager and longtime Nepean executive a Lifetime Achievement Award for his dedication to the organization.

Watt, battling ALS — known more commonly as Lou Gehrig’s disease) — led the Raiders with Goulet during the 2011-12 campaign.

“What truly sets Randy apart is his deep connection to the Nepean community,” current Raiders owner Robert Kinghan said. “Whether engaging with fans or helping those in need, Randy’s presence reminds us that hockey is about people, not just the game.”

Weegar’s best friend is Watt’s son, Brandon, and he is happy to be able to share this moment with that family.

“It’s pretty emotional with Randy being honoured at the same time, just because of what he’s done for me and with Brandon and I being best buddies,” Weegar said. “I’ve been thinking about Randy and the impact that he had on me.

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“He always had a book with inspirational quotes and a couple have stuck with me. I watched the golden goal in 2010 on his couch with him and his wife, Debbie. They made you well-respected people with good manners.”

Though Weegar wore No. 4 when he played with Nepean, the No. 52 he now wears will be pulled to the rafters. He has that number because it was worn by his cousin Craig Rivet, who suited up for more than 900 NHL games with the Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, San Jose Sharks and Columbus Blue Jackets.

“Fifty-two is who I am. Everyone knows Weegar with No. 52 behind it, and, if that’s going to go up where people can I see, I want people to see the legacy that No. 52 has with my cousin and myself,” Weegar said.

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