It’s not about winning or losing. It’s about having fun.
Since the dawn of the disco era, hockey’s next generation have strapped on the skates each January and flocked to rinks throughout Thunder Bay, creating what has become the biggest sporting event in Northwestern Ontario.
This year the Robin’s Minor Hockey Classic features 125 teams from throughout the region, with more than 2,200 youngsters taking to the ice between now and Sunday.
For eight-year-old Kailey Swerhun, there’s nothing better than suiting up with the Novice West End Bruins for a friendly game of shinny.
“It’s fun to play hockey and I like scoring,” the youngster said.
Vanessa Nichol of the Current River Comets Atom AA squad, agreed, saying while there is usually a winner and a loser in every contest, no one’s really thinking too much about it during the tournament.
“Basically it’s just for fun,” she said on Thursday, helping Thunder Bay Mayor Keith Hobbs cut a cake kicking off the 35th edition of the event put on by the Port Arthur Minor Hockey Association, the last 20 under the Robin’s banner.
“There are no winners or losers.”
Kailey’s teammate Olivia Nichol said it’s all about the camaraderie.
“I like hockey because we play together and it doesn’t matter if we win or lose,” she said. “It’s fun because we just try our best and we have fun.”
Tournament chairman Joe Rizzuto said the tournament has entrenched itself into the city’s proud hockey history, one that has produced the likes of all-stars Patrick Sharp, Eric, Marc and Jordan Staal, Alex Auld and the Pyatt brothers, Taylor and Tom.
Other alumni include NHLers Taylor Chorney, Mike Richards, Ryan Parent and Chris Porter, and Canadian Olympic gold medalists Katie Weatherston and Haley Irwin.
“The tournament has become a tradition in Thunder Bay. It’s 35 years old,” Rizzuto said. “We try to treat the kids fairly. We give everybody something to take away from the tournament. So everybody’s happy, everybody has a great time.”
With 31 teams from out of town, the annual event is also great for the economy, he said.
“We’ve filled about 400 hotel rooms. It’s become the largest athletic event in Northwestern Ontario, and we’re proud of that,” Rizzuto said.
It’s not easy to co-ordinate it all, he added.
“We’re using eight arenas, so it’s a big feat for four days. We’re playing 260 games this weekend. We have a great group of volunteers and they come out. As soon as the tournament starts they jump in and they’ve done it year after year,” Rizzuto said. “It runs fairly smoothly.”
Action continues through Sunday.
