INNISFAIL – A good chunk of Ryan Dodd’s heart was still broken after his hockey team’s early exit Wednesday from the Allan Cup Challenge in Dundas, Ontario but the other half was glowing brightly and proudly.
For the first time in the Innisfail Eagles Hockey Club’s 76-year history, the team’s hockey-crazed Central Alberta town has been selected to host the historic tournament, which has been running since 1909 to crown the country’s best amateur men’s hockey club.
“We had a meeting yesterday (April 24) with the Allan Cup committee and Innisfail has been awarded the Allan Cup (tournament) for April 5 of next year. It’s coming to Innisfail for the first time ever,” said Dodd, a long-time member of the Innisfail Eagles, who now is the club’s general manager and assistant coach.
The last time the tourney was held in western Canada was in 2019 when Lacombe was the host city. The Eagles reached the finals that year but were defeated by the Lacombe Generals.
“It's something that we're really excited as a team, and it really perked the players up,” said Dodd of his team that was defeated this week (April 24) in the third preliminary round game and was officially out of the 2024 Allan Cup.
He said he believes both Mayor Jean Barclay and Todd Becker, the town’s chief administrative officer, will be pleased to hear the news.
“This is something that they've been asking me over and over, like, ‘when is Innisfail going to get a shot at hosting? I'm glad that we're able to confirm this because they need to talk to other ice users and get their blessings,” said Dodd. “This is huge. This sells out your restaurants. This sells out your hotels.
“We are not going away from Innisfail. We want to have this tournament in Innisfail,” added Dodd. “This town has done so much for us over the years and it's only right that we host this tournament in Innisfail and give back to the community as much as we can.”
The Albertan contacted Don Robertson, a widely respected member of the Allan Cup Tournament Committee based in Ontario, and he declined comment on Innisfail’s selection as the host locale for the 2025 Allan Cup Challenge.
“I can tell you one thing, it will not be in Dundas, not next year anyways,” said Robertson. “That you can quote me on.”
