This past weekend was picture-perfect for some good, old-fashioned Canadian hockey, despite an uncooperative Mother Nature. But it was The Table Men’s Shelter who ended up taking home the winning cup.
Kicking off on Friday night, the first-ever Great Northern Winter Classic was held at a brand-new rink, which has officially been given the name RE/MAX Gardens (located on Crescent Road).
Ken Atwood, a local hockey fanatic who has a passion for creating outdoor rinks, originally had an idea to build a rink so the boys could get simply together and slap the puck around for fun. But the idea turned into something bigger when two of Atwood’s friends, Casey Nobel and Shawn Crozier, stepped up to help their buddy.
Ken Atwood takes a break from being a human zamboni. He is still blown away by the support he received from fellow hockey players who all pitched in to make the event a success.
Nobel, who resides near the rink, took it upon himself to reach out to local businesses to get sponsors and collect donated items for a silent auction. He also coordinated registration and scheduling for the event and came up with the idea that the tournament should raise funds for The Table Men’s Shelter. Crozier acted as Atwood’s wing-man and “was a huge help” when it came to maintaining the rink and lending a hand when anything needed to be done. Without their willingness to help, as well as the support received from the guys participating, Atwood said the tournament wouldn’t have been as successful as it was.
The players were showing up and asking what time they were playing and what they could do. It was more about pitching in to help rather than playing and that was really special.
Twelve teams and a total of 52 players, which includes the goalies, took to the ice to help raise funds for the Table Soup Kitchen’s Men’s Shelter. Teams of four played three-on-three games for 20-minute periods and it was somewhat nostalgic seeing the boys get together for some old-fashioned hockey for a great cause.
While the intention was to have the charity event run over the course of the weekend, Mother Nature stole the show and the tournament was forced to stop when warm temperatures wreaked havoc on the ice conditions. It was no longer safe for players to continue the tournament and so it wrapped up Saturday afternoon.
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- Goalie Alex Degelman stretches before the game begins.
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- It was evident that every player at the tournament was there to have fun.
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- A total of 52 guys took part in the charity event.
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- A player breaks away with the puck. Watching the Friday night game under lights was nostalgic.
“What was so cool about it was every single player played a few games and walked away happy with a positive experience. They didn’t care that they couldn’t finish. They had a great time and raised money for charity.”
A total amount of funds raised is still being tallied but Atwood is hoping the tournament raised close to $1,000 for the Men’s Shelter.
He also said that it is his hope that next year’s Great Northern Winter Classic will bring out even more people and raise funds for another great cause.
“Everyone was very receptive and thought it was a great idea.”
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