“Hard on the boards!” “Quick shifts!” “Shooooot!”
There was a competitiveness in the air at the Canada Summit Centre on January 31. The mood may have been jovial for the most part off the ice, but the boys on it were playing to win.
The Huntsville senior shinny hockey mini-tournament took place at the Don Lough Arena from 8 a.m. through the early afternoon.
Featuring players from the 55-plus age group all the way to 80-plus (though only a couple were above 80), the second annual event was bigger than last year and is expected to keep growing.
Norm Mino is both the organizer and an avid player in the tournament. He moved to Huntsville several years ago, started playing senior shinny hockey soon after, and then had the idea to have a mini tournament.
He says they keep getting more and more players joining the shinny games being held on weekdays in the fall, winter, and spring at the Summit Centre.
The four teams are made up of mixed age group teams from the three groups playing shinny hockey in Huntsville. The age groups are 55-plus, 65-plus, and 70-plus, with players signing up for the tournament if they can make it.
“We have about 13 guys that are over 70, and there’s a sort of breakdown between 55 and 65,” says Mino. “So, it’s sort of equal caliber as much as we can get it there . . . I mean, it’s competitive in terms of playing hockey, but nobody’s intent in terms of getting hurt or, you know, being a rough player and all that.”
The person in charge of splitting up the teams for the mini-tournament was Ian Davies, who did a pretty good job judging by the one-goal games and ties happening early on.
As someone who has played with most of the participants over the years, the 69-year-old Davies had a pretty good idea of how to split it up.
“I’ve been playing in the Senior Tennis League now since I got 13 years in since I turned 55,” says Davies. He ranked players into A, B, C, and D categories. “And then I divided everybody by defence and forward… I love the game, and I watch players, and I watch what they do.”
He adds that the more the league grows, the more it’s wonderful for everyone.
There is a bit of a gentlemanly aspect as well since in shinny there are no referees. Everyone needs to be honest and call their own transgressions, from offside to icing and more.
With most people knowing each other, there aren’t too many aggressive disputes about the calls on the ice. There is support for each other to keep playing, and because it’s shinny hockey, there tends to be less vitriol.
As Mino notes, seeing 83-year-old Dave Mallette and other 80-plus-age hockey players like Remo Campitelli out on the ice is an inspiration to the other guys to keep going year after year.
Mallette says it’s important to remember this is about exercise, camaraderie, and fun. Also, it’s shinny, so the teams are mixed from game to game (other than during the tourney).
“You don’t build up a grudge with anybody because you might be on their team next week,” says Mallette. “The camaraderie is great. It’s our social club.”
A regular shinny hockey player in Huntsville, Mallette captained the Canadian team that won the 2024 80-plus Canada 150 Cup and brought it to the shinny tournament.
The 80+ Canada 150 Cup is awarded to the winner between Canada and the United States.
With tournaments such as the senior shinny event in Huntsville, as well as the Canada-U.S. cup competition, being a wonderful time for the participants, Mallette says organizers across the country are trying to increase the number of tournaments available to play in.
He’s even flying out west in the near future to join a team from Saskatchewan at a B.C. event. Five of Mallette’s Team Canada teammates are on the team, and they invited him to play.
Funds have been raised to purchase a carrying case for the Canada 150 Cup, which is shipped out to team members for a week to give them an opportunity to show it off.
Dave Mallette with the 80+ Canada 150 Cup
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