North Battleford gears up for annual hockey tournaments

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Hockey players and fans from across the county will be heading for North Battleford at the end of March, as the community hosts two perennially popular sporting events.

The Battlefords Indian and Metis Friendship Centre 40th annual All Native Hockey Tournament will be taking place at the civic centre from March 26 to 28, coinciding once again with the Lawrence Weenie Cup Western Canadian Aboriginal Oldtimers Hockey Classic, being held for its fourth year. The oldtimers tournament will be held at the Don Ross Arena, with the final to be held at the civic centre.

Milton Tootoosis is the founder and co-ordinator of the Lawrence Weenie Cup, a tournament he created in honour of his late father, the veteran sports announcer whose work throughout Indian Country earned him the nickname "the voice of Native sports."

Tootoosis expects a dozen teams of 35-plus recreational hockey players from across Western Canada to take part in this year's tournament.

While the Lawrence Weenie Cup is a relatively new tournament in comparison to the friendship centre's annual contest, the event is quickly becoming a prestigious tournament to compete in, Tootoosis said.

"It is similar to the friendship centre tournament and is referred to as one of the toughest tournaments to win ... the players feel proud just to get to the finals. This is definitely held in high regard. It is the vision of the committee members of the tournament to make this event one of the premier classic tournaments in Western Canada. This game brings out the best in the guys," he said.

"We are bringing back a lot of the guys over 35 who used to play really good hockey in their prime. It is good to see so many Aboriginal men at the age of 40 keeping themselves busy, competing and being athletic. This is keeping them active by participating in their own divisions. They are still considered athletes at that age and that is what I like to see."

While the tournament doesn't happen until the end of March, organizers, participants and the community itself have already begun gearing up for the event.

"The excitement is gaining momentum. There is a buzz already. This has become a big tournament. Their final game is going to be held at the civic centre, which will be watched by 2,000 fans. This little city is just a buzzing during the week. This tournament is a huge spin-off for the businesses in the community," he said.

Organizers of the friendship centre's All Native Hockey Tournament are also gearing up for what they expect to be a successful and exciting weekend of hockey.

Brittani Chatelaine, activities co-ordinator for the friendship centre, said that this year they are expecting about 10,000 people to take in the hockey games. She said everyone at the friendship centre has been busy since the end of September putting the event together.

"Everybody helps out. There are six of us here, and I think that there are 12 board members and it keeps everyone busy from selling tickets to organizing it to making posters and advertising and that sort of thing. It will be the biggest one yet," Chatelaine said.

"Usually the weather is pretty good and we are hoping to get around 16 teams from all across Canada. These games are a huge success. It brings in a lot of revenue in the city and benefits the whole city, not just the friendship centre. I think these three days will be pretty exciting."

For more information about the Battlefords Indian and Metis Friendship Centre 40th annual All Native Hockey Tournament, call Jackie Kennedy or Brittani Chatelaine at 445-8216. For more information about the Lawrence Weenie Cup, call Milton Tootoosis at 771-4787.