Teams gear up for Native Stanley Cup

Unofficially, the tournament is known as the All-Native Stanley Cup.

That, in part, could help to explain the longevity of the annual senior men's hockey tournament run by Battleford's Indian and Metis Friendship Centre (BIMFC).

The 42nd edition of the tournament begins March 31 and runs until April 2. Matches will be held at the North Battleford Civic Centre.

Organizers are hoping to have 16 participating clubs, which would be a slight increase from the 15 teams that competed at last year's event.

Vince Sauvie, who is in his second season serving as tournament chairman, is doing his best to keep a high profile for the event, which had decreased in popularity somewhat in recent years. In 2004, the tournament had just nine clubs take part.

"The past co-ordinators didn't really promote the tournament out of province," Sauvie said. "They just relied on their local contacts."

To help spread the word of the North Battleford event, Sauvie has travelled recently to tournaments in Alberta and Manitoba.

Those journeys have paid off as clubs from both provinces are expected to attend the BIMFC tournament. At press time, Sauvie was still waiting to hear whether a squad from Quebec that took part in last year's event would be returning this season.

Groups from Ontario and British Columbia had also expressed some interest in competing at this year's event.

Those that do take part will by vying for a share of the $25,000 in prize money up for grabs. The winning club will take home $12,000-considerably more than the $850 entry fee. The second place team will win $8,000 while the squad that finishes third will be awarded $5,000.

Sauvie said one of the reasons the tournament has survived this long is because of the generosity of the North Battleford community.

"The local community gives sponsorships to help cover that $25,000," he said.

Sauvie said the tournament's prize purse has remained at $25,000 for almost a decade now, but organizers would like to bump that figure up, hopefully to attract even more clubs from across the country.

"It would be nice to get it up to $35,000 to $40,000," Sauvie said.

The Alberta-based Redskins, who have won the championship in each of the past two years, will be back to defend their crown.

"Their chances (of winning again) are pretty good," Sauvie said. "Last year they had a couple of shootouts, though."

The match-up in the tournament final has been the same for the past two years running, with the Redskins facing a team representing Poundmaker First Nation.