By Graham Perkins /
Canada’s love of hockey doesn’t stop when the ice melts. Nearly every adult male who grew up north of the border has fond memories of playing shinny out on the street, occasionally interrupted by a cry of, “car!”
But in the late ‘90’s, Scott Hill noticed a disturbing trend: fewer and fewer kids were playing street hockey.
“I remember going into Canadian Tire to try and find a street hockey ball and I couldn’t,” Hill said.
Fearing the deterioration of the game he loved at the grass roots level, Hill decided to do something about it. In 2003, he founded a street hockey tournament called Play On in Halifax and it was an instant hit, with 114 teams participating and a celebrity hockey game featuring local sitcom stars the Trailer Park Boys.
Since its modest inception, Play On has swept the nation. This summer, 12 cities across Canada will host tournaments and more than 160,000 players have already signed up.
Winnipeg is set to host the first tourney May 23 to 24, and throughout June and August there are going to be tournaments in London, Edmonton, Moncton, Vancouver, Oshawa, Halifax, Calgary, Ottawa, St. John’s, Montreal and Saskatoon.
But Play On isn’t just about celebrating Canada’s love of the game; it’s also about sharing that love with new Canadians. The evolution of Canada as a multicultural mosaic has produced challenges for minor hockey because immigrants who aren’t familiar with the game find it easier to play more familiar sports like soccer.
“One-third of Canadians are new generation, and a lot of those kids have never had the opportunity to skate before. This event can be an entry point for that person, and hopefully that person falls in love with hockey. That’s one of our high level goals.”
The tournament’s success is impressive considering it almost never made it off the ground. Hill originally had a partnership with the NHL, but when the lockout came in September 2004, the league stopped its support for the event, leading to the tournament being cancelled in 2006.
However, once a sports marketing company convinced Hill to let them run the event in Halifax, he changed his business model to allow for regional organization and saw the event flourish.
“It used to be me taking my truck and trailer across Canada and stopping at each event, but I realized this was a better way.”
CBC’s Hockey Night In Canada became a partner last year and an advertising blitz has helped the tournament gain nationwide attention. The number of teams in each market are restricted depending on street space, but so far there is still space in all tournaments for all ages and all skill levels. But a quick word of warning to skilled ice hockey players expecting to dominate: you might be in for a surprise.
“Last year, we had a team of all QMJHL players who played in the under-19 division. They finished seventh,” Hill said. “There are a lot of people in this country who are fantastic street hockey players.” |