After a jam-packed inaugural tournament, the second annual This Tournament Has Everything hockey tournament is ready to bring even more folks together on the ice.
Over the course of the first weekend in March, six draft teams — up from four in the 2023 inaugural tournament — will compete at the Sechelt arena, and spectators are invited to cheer them on. Between March 1 and 3, there will be four games each day.
Organizer Kao Lawrie said registration sold out within two weeks, and athletes are coming from all over Canada and up from Portland and Seattle to participate. (Probably inspired in part by Lawrie’s guest spot on the Australian Pride & Puck Podcast earlier this month.) Team members registered individually and were drafted to teams based on four categories of intentions to play: full send, half send, rookie and razzle dazzle. Each team is mixed skill.
The tournament is women, trans and nonbinary inclusive. “This inclusivity part is a huge focus, because there are a lot of players who don't feel like they have had access to hockey throughout their life. Hockey is a somewhat exclusive sport, especially when it comes to gender norms,” Lawrie said. So this tournament provides a space where players are welcome and invited to celebrate diversity, whether they are part of the LGBTQ+ community, are gender diverse or are an ally. “All of those things make up a really good team.”
“I think when you play a sport where you don’t feel welcome or comfortable or safe in the change room, that translates into the kind of play, the kind of game you’re going to have,” Lawrie added. “I’m personally obsessed with hockey, and I find that it’s been such a good way for me to connect with myself but also my community. Being involved in team sports is so important, especially post-COVID, I feel like we’re all just looking to feel like we’re part of something again. Hockey’s a great opportunity to be able to set some examples in the shifting landscape of inclusive sports.”
The puck drops Friday, March 1, and the final games will be the morning of Sunday, March 3.
Attending the games is free for spectators, and a ticketed dance party with pizza courtesy of Peppercreek Pizza will celebrate on Saturday night. On both Friday and Saturday, thanks to sponsor KER Enterprises, the arena’s Penalty Box Bar will be serving alcoholic beverages and mocktails, and there will be a food truck on Saturday. The proceeds from the drinks will be donated to the Sunshine Coast Youth Outreach program. Last year, the tournament raised $1,103 for the youth program.
Lawrie has also connected with the local drag community, and drag performers will be providing live commentary of some of the games. Referees are courtesy of Insitu.
But there won’t be a championship game. “Even though I love a good rivalry,” Lawrie said. “I do want the tournament to be competitive, but it's also meant to be friendly. And so each team plays the other but there's no real rankings or anything.”
“We have so many folks coming from out of town that are bringing posses with them. It should be quite a fun weekend,” Lawrie said. “In the wake of winter, as we’re climbing out of the darkness, [it’s] a fun, light event to watch some live hockey. We’re a hockey community, right?
"Getting the Coastal Tsunami [Pacific Junior Hockey League team] and we're all shifting into even more hockey on the Coast, so it's cool to be able to highlight this.”
Anyone looking to get involved can find the tournament on Instagram at @tthehockeytournament and at https://mailchi.mp/871af2ac5c98/tthetournament.
.png;w=120;h=80;mode=crop)
