Canoe Lake claims victory at Lawrence Weenie Cup

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The first ever Lawrence Weenie Cup Memorial Legends Hockey Tournament took place in North Battleford March 31 to April 1, giving First Nations players 35 and over a chance to compete against each other in a competitive tournament.

Milton Tootoosis organized the tournament in honour of his late father, who passed away last November. Lawrence Weenie was a long-time supporter of the annual Battlefords Friendship Centre (BFC) hockey tournament, and was inducted into the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) Sports Hall of Fame in the builder category.

Weenie was a long time sports announcer, earning the nickname 'the voice of Native sports' during at least 30 years as a public announcer throughout Indian Country, Tootoosis said.

Tootoosis also organized the tournament to promote adult recreational hockey within the Aboriginal community, and to bring back the 'legends of the past' - players who used to play in the BFC hockey tournament.

Eight First Nations teams took part in the tournament, with the Canoe Lake team claiming the championship, defeating the team from Thunderchild 4-2 in the final game. Third place went to the team from Piapot.

Eval Lariviere from the Canoe Lake team received the Master Player Award following the tournament, while Vern Worm from Thunderchild was named top defenceman. Eddy Janvier, also from the Thunderchild team, was named top goalie, while teammate Karl Wapass was named most sportsmanlike player.

The award for top scorer was given to Louis Gardiner from Canoe Lake. Gardiner was also named tournament MVP, receiving the Gilbert Favel Trophy.

Tootoosis said the tournament will become an annual event, with two teams already calling to say they want to take part in next year's competition. With adult recreational hockey one of the fastest growing segments of hockey across Canada, Tootoosis expects the Lawrence Weenie Cup will be part of a resurgence of adult rec. hockey within the Aboriginal community.