Easter Seals hockey tourney a success

“Get ready for an afternoon of die-hard hockey, corporate savvy, and fast-paced fun.”
If you flipped over to page seven of the “Power Play for Easter Seals Kids” player’s package, this is the headline that accompanied the page.
And if you were smart enough to have attended or participated in the street hockey tournament held here Saturday, this is what you were promised—and what you certainly got.
The weather was beautiful, the hockey was competitive, and the event, in its second year of existence here, raised a little over $21,000 for the Easter Seal Society.
“This is great,” said Shane Bliss, one of the organizers for the event which was held at the Memorial Sports Centre. “You couldn’t ask for better weather and a better turnout.
“We’ve been fortunate and things are going really well.
“It’s for a great cause and it’s a lot of fun, and [people] get to come out and play road hockey. Everyone seems to be having a good time,” added Bliss.
Thirteen teams participated in the event that is a fundraiser for the Easter Seal Society of Ontario, which has been helping individuals with disabilities and special needs since 1922.
More than 20,000 children, youth, and young adults in Ontario live with a physical disability today. The Easter Seal Society of Ontario is dedicated to helping them achieve their full individual potential and future independence.
Easter Seals funds disability solutions through financial assistance, summer camp, the Recreational Choices funding program, research, advocacy, and public and consumer education.
Each team (six players) was asked to collect a minimum of $600, but “everyone always goes above and beyond that,” said Shannon Munro, who helped organize the tournament.
And with the top fundraising team being given the “Power Play Advantage,” which means having the tournament’s celebrity play for them, it had “a little more incentive for people to fundraise,” Munro added.
Having raised $1,848.50, the Crazy 8’s were named the top fundraising team and had former professional hockey player Mike Ford, of the defunct Winnipeg Jets, play for them. And Ford was more than willing and able to participate.
“This is just a lot of fun. It’s a hoot for me and I’m really enjoying being here,” enthused Ford, who played five seasons with the Jets during his 16-year pro career.
“The people have been great and are talking hockey with me, so it’s a lot of fun and I’d do this every weekend if I could.
“I think everything came together and this had great support from the community,” he added. “We had a perfect day for it, so I don’t think you could’ve asked for a better set-up.”
Although the Crazy 8’s didn’t have much luck Saturday, team member Jessica Ballan said that when you’re playing for charity, wins and losses don’t mean anything in the end.
“We look forward to it. We did it last year and we had so much fun,” she noted. “We have a blast doing it every time. Last year we placed second for the top fundraising and this year we were going for first.
“And we try to be competitive, but we’re not doing too well with our playing,” laughed Ballan, whose team went 0-3 in the tourney.
But for others, notably the testosterone-driven men, the tournament, although fun and enjoyable, was very competitive and was treated as a serious affair.
“Everybody is competitive,” said Bliss. “When you drop that ball, you’ve got to remember that it’s for fun, but it’s such a small area to play in and you’re bound to run into somebody by accident.”
Two makeshift rinks, encircled by padding and netting, were set-up for the tournament at the tennis courts. Each team played three players at once, along with a goalie.
With the dimensions being only about 15 feet wide and 30 feet long, the playing area seemed more suited as a stage for an old “American Gladiators” episode.
“There’s not a lot of room out there, so if you’re all swinging at the puck, you’re going to get a couple of hacks. It’s all unintentional, but it’s hard not to be competitive,” said Bliss.
“Everybody out there wants to win, and that’s one of the great things about the game,” he added.
In the end, the defending champion North American Lumber Rats were able to repeat and cement their claim as the class of the tournament, beating Lake Country Enterprises in the ‘A’ final.
“This is the second year I’ve done it, and it gets more and more fun,” said team member Trevor Hands. “And there are actually better teams here this year and there are a couple of new teams, too, that I’ve never seen before.”
Green’s Furniture beat Wolfpack #2 to take the ‘B’ final while the L’il Rascals edged Skates & Blades in the ‘C’ showdown.
“This is all for the kids, and we’re out here just having fun and playing for a good cause,” stressed Hands. “With something like this, you try to get everybody involved because it’s all for the kids and that’s why I’m out there.”