Minor Hockey Week in Edmonton starts Friday, honours late longtime volunteer

The Edmonton Oilers and Hockey Edmonton awarded three young athletes $1,000 ahead of Minor Hockey Week.

It’s the big 6-2 for Edmonton’s largest annual hockey tournament.

The 62nd annual Quikcard Edmonton Minor Hockey Week runs for 10 days starting Friday at arenas across the city through Jan. 18. It is expected to draw about 13,000 players on 698 teams from age levels Under-9 to Under-18.

“This has sort of become a rite of passage in the hockey community,” Kylee Quinn, the marketing and communications director for Hockey Edmonton, told reporters on Tuesday at Rogers Place during the tourney’s media launch. “Everybody who’s played hockey in the city over the last six decades has played in this tournament, so it’s so exciting to announce another edition of the event.”

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The tournament, which set a Guinness Book of World Records mark in 2003 as the world’s largest such ice-hockey event, will stage 904 games on 31 sheets of ice at 23 arenas around Edmonton.

Its opening weekend will feature an outdoor pond-hockey tournament – the Canadian Tire U9 Pond Hockey Classic – at Cattail Crossing, which is located on the north side close to CFB Edmonton.

This year’s tournament honours the late Bill Ross, who volunteered for Minor Hockey Week for nearly 60 years. Ross, known as the tournament’s ‘Mr. Central’, passed away earlier this year.

“He was the person everyone counted on to keep the tournament running smoothly,” Ray Vigneau, Hockey Edmonton’s general manager, said Tuesday in a statement. “Naming him Honorary Chair is our way of thanking someone who gave his heart to Quikcard Edmonton Minor Hockey Week and minor hockey in Edmonton. His absence will be deeply felt this year, but his influence and legacy will always be part of the event.”

Hockey Edmonton also announced on Tuesday this year’s recipients of the annual Wayne Gretzky Awards, given to three players for their outstanding sportsmanship, dedication to the game and community involvement. They are Rehaan Chaglani (Northwest Zone), Tyson Guinchard (KC Spurs) and Maddie Butterfield (Edmonton Wolves). Each receives a $1,000 scholarship supported by the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation.

“It’s just so awesome to be recognized for my leadership and community work, to know that my hard work isn’t going unnoticed, and that people appreciate what you do for the community,” Chaglani said after a ceremony to honour the three award recipients.

All money raised through tournament activities – including registration fees, 50/50 draws, and merchandise sales – is reinvested directly back into the tournament, Hockey Edmonton says. Admission for spectators ages 18 to 64 is $5. It gives access to all games, free coffee at McDonald’s and one complimentary skate sharpening at United Cycle during the tournament.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Sean McClune