When the third annual women-trans-two-spirit-non-binary inclusive, This Tournament Has Everything hockey extravaganza hits the ice in Sechelt at the end of the month, it will have double the number of teams that played at the inaugural event two years ago. And off the ice, the tournament’s reach has grown to an even greater degree.
This year, from Feb. 28 to March 2, more than 100 players from all over North America –– St. Louis, Toronto, Calgary, Seattle, Portland and beyond –– will descend on the Sunshine Coast Arena to play on eight teams in the fully-subscribed tournament. (The participants register as individuals and then are placed on teams.)
Spectatorship at Sunshine Coast Arena in Sechelt is free and encouraged (see the schedule at tthe2025.mailchimpsites.com).
Among the featured events this year is a public, everyone welcome Pride skate from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on the Sunday -– rentals and ice use is free, though participants are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item for the food bank. “People can connect on the ice after hopefully being inspired by watching all the games,” shared founder and organizer Kao Lawrie.
Grants and partnerships have helped the tournament grow over the past couple of years. The Sunshine Coast Pride Society has taken over the Saturday night dance, which has moved to Roberts Creek Hall and will feature drag and burlesque and raffles –– with the proceeds from that bar as well as the arena bar going to the Sunshine Coast Youth Outreach Program. (Pre-sale tickets are sold out but there is a small number of tickets at the door. Find more information at prideonthecoast.com.)
Also among the off-the-ice festivities, the U11 girls' hockey team is having a bake sale, a barber is doing gender-affirming haircuts and Source for Sports will have fake ice that’s used for training.
“My main focus has just been to try to include as many parts of community as I can,” said Lawrie. “We've got a lot of local businesses that are also sponsoring and then some new ones that approached us this year, which was really encouraging.”
There will also be physical therapists and mental health ambassadors on-site. “We'll have a quiet room. So if people need support, there's a way to do that,” said Lawrie. “Especially with everything that's going on in the world, it could be a bit of an emotional weekend for some folks, and it's good to be able to support them.
“It really is living up to its name of This Tournament Has Everything. It's grown into something really beautiful and I'm pretty proud to present it for the third year in a row to the Coast.”
NHL support
This year, the tournament received financial support from the NHL, which allowed TTHE to create custom jerseys for the tournament, with a logo designed by Tami Tattoos at Six Gill Tattoos. (The NHL support involved “a lot of emails, a lot of Zoom calls,” said Lawrie.)
“I really wanted to be able to provide custom jerseys to players so that they felt really seen and celebrated,” said Lawrie. “There's something about putting on a fresh kit that makes you feel like you weren't an afterthought. I want the players to really feel like they're a priority and that they're important to hockey, because hockey is for everyone.”
Skill inclusive
From the quiet launch in 2023 to now the third iteration that’s loudly anticipated, Lawrie has been a guest on podcasts and done YouTube interviews as word of TTHE spread. “I want it to also kind of inspire folks who are in small communities, that they can do something really great as well,” said Lawrie. “Most of these giant inclusive hockey tournaments, they're in big metropolitan cities. We're the only one that's in this small, boat-access-only community, and yet it seems to be thriving.”
There are no playoffs and no trophies in TTHE but they do have MIP awards (“most inclusive or iconic or improved, open to interpretation player”) to celebrate team members who had outstanding games. “It's competitive friendly,” explained Lawrie. “It’s skill-inclusive as well.”
“You can play if you are just starting out, and you can play if you're a university-level player. You play to the player in front of you. The focus is really on teamwork and just growing the game. There's plenty of competitive tournaments in the world. And I love that they exist, but this is just not that vibe.
“It's definitely a celebration of community coming together and just supporting each other and recognizing that there's strength in community and power in diversity, and I think that this is a great way to showcase that, through hockey.”
