Good time tournament adult recreational hockey is making its annual return to Innisfail this month.
The annual Innisfail Rec Hockey Tournament will kick off Friday, Feb. 26 and run to Feb. 28 at the red rink of the Innisfail Arena.
And Ryan Dodd, tourney organizer, said one of the local teams, especially his own Roadrunners squad, is setting out to claim the tourney championship, which has been won by out-of-town teams for at least the past five years.
“Absolutely there is motivation. I know there are guys getting a little bit long in the tooth and we would like to have one last kick at the cat and see if we can come out on top of the tournament,” said Dodd, a past playing member of the Innisfail Eagles.
The local tournament hosted by the Innisfail Adult Recreation League has been running annually for as long as anyone remembers, said Dodd, whose local league is designed for players from the age of 18 and up to even 66 who come from “all walks of life,” to take part purely for the love of Canada's grand old game.
“I've been playing in the league for about 10 years now and it was going on well before that. I've had guys talking about it and it's been going on for at least 20 years or better,” said Dodd. “We've got guys out there who could hardly skate when they started to play. They never played organized hockey and we just bring them on and away we go.”
This year's tourney will feature 12 teams, five local and seven from across Alberta, including Edmonton, Lacombe, Calgary, and Medicine Hat.
Dodd said every team will play a minimum of four games beginning on Feb. 26.
“There will be two games Friday night (Feb. 26) and a full slate of games on Saturday starting at 8 a.m. and then on Sunday we have semifinals and finals,” he said, adding competition promises to be fierce.
“The teams that come in are fairly competitive. They have a lot of ex-pro and junior players. It is pretty good hockey,” said Dodd, adding the local players get pumped up for the tourney, including those with his own Roadrunners team that has won the local crown six out of the last seven years. “There are lots of guys who come back to challenge just for this tournament. It is an ongoing staple. Everybody knows that at the end of February you've got your Innisfail Rec Hockey Tournament so there are lots of people who come back to town.”
And while the quality of play on the ice promises to be top-notch, there is an extra benefit for the community as up to 200 players, friends, family members and hockey enthusiasts will be coming to town to not only enjoy the tournament but to spend money.
“It is a boost because you get teams coming in and they got to get hotels, and ultimately we are here to have a good time and we usually go down and spend some money at the local pubs,” said Dodd. “It definitely gives a little boost into the economy.”
Ryan Dodd
"The teams that come in are fairly competitive. They have a lot of ex-pro and junior players. It is pretty good hockey."
