“We want these kids to have the memory of having an amazing time in Cold Lake, not just our team, but all nine or 10 teams that come here. We want this to be what they remember."
Crystal Frey and Elaine Ernst from Cold Lake Minor Hockey (CLMH) are hoping to leave lasting memories for the players attending the bantam A provincials in March.
The minor hockey club submitted their application to host the 2019 tournament in November, and were excited to hear they had been approved.
“We have done this in the past but have never been successful. The last boys' provincials held in the City of Cold Lake was in 1992,” expressed Frey during their presentation at the City of Cold Lake council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 22.
Ernst added, “We want this to be annual. We think Cold Lake is now in a position where we can attract a provincial bid every single year in a different category.”
But, CLMH wants to turn this into more than just a hockey-based event.
“Not only are we planning the event for the hockey community, we’re planning it for the community. One of the things we have chosen to do, in order to make it very inclusive, is include the schools,” Frey detailed.
Hockey Hooky is CLMH's way of filling the stands with local kids.
Frey said because the tournament is hosted March 14 to 17, some of their games fall on Thursday and Friday.
"We have invited all of our local schools to participate and actually help with cheering on the teams that come from all over Alberta,” she continued.
Ten teams from across Alberta participate, with Cold Lake's bantam A squad guaranteed a spot as hosts of the championship.
Ernst said they're expecting anywhere from 500 to 600 people coming to the city specifically for the provincial tournament.
This was one of the reasons why they decided to make it about more than hockey.
Their plan is to include a farmer's market and vending area, have bouncy castles and other activities for families, and pull off opening ceremonies that will be talked about for years to come.
“This isn’t just a hockey tournament, one thing that helped us win the bid, was when we spoke to Hockey Alberta, was the atmosphere we wanted to have,” Ernst stressed.
The opening ceremonies takes place on the Friday night of provincials. Their theme is Under the Northern Lights in Northern Alberta, and will include a Dene prayer, representatives from local municipalities, 4 Wing, and Cold Lake First Nations, as well as a land dedication.
“As hockey parents, you spend a lot of dead time at these tournaments. We want to make sure we fill that up for families that are coming to visit, so they can see what Cold Lake has to offer,” Ernst said.
A player banquet will follow the ceremonies, and will give families an opportunity to sit down together.
As part of their presentation to the city, CLMH were requesting full usage of the facility, with some of the cost covered by the municipality.
They said if they didn't receive a contribution from Cold Lake, it would be nearly impossible for them to pull off what they have planned.
In total, the cost of using the Energy Centre, rinks and field house included, is over $8,900.
The tournament includes 23 games that are scheduled back-to-back over the three days.
Coun. Bob Buckle noted, “We’ve been trying to encourage more usage of that facility by having these types of events. Ideally, I would love to see two, three, or even four tournaments of that scale in there throughout the year."
Although Cold Lake wouldn't be guaranteed to be the host community for next year's provincials, Ernst explained how they're optimistic.
"Speaking directly with them when we submitted a bid, they were really happy they got one from Cold Lake. They said ‘we’ve been waiting for this,'” she said. “Hockey Alberta has been waiting for us to put in a strong enough bid for them to put an event here."
Should they raise their full $30,000 goal for the tournament, they would use any leftover funds to create a Legacy Fund dedicated to future tournaments, and a Legacy Project that would remain at the Energy Centre.
“We would love to see something left behind that would say ‘we held this here,’" expressed Ernst.
Instead of charging tickets at the door, CLMH took a different route, asking each team to pitch-in $700.
This fee will help with the overall expenses of putting on provincials.
Ernst said by removing the cost for the public and family members to watch games, it will "eliminate the hesitation for people who are thinking about going to provincials, but don't want to pay $50 to go and watch minor hockey."
“I think you’ll see more people travelling as a result, because that’s off their plate,” she added.
Another exciting component of the event, is Kirk Lamb, a Cold Lake-native and current member of Hockey Canada's board of directors, will be speaking.
“He participated in the last boys' provincials that was held here in the south arena (in 1992)," noted Frey.
Although CLMH has applied for recreational grants, both through the province and the MD of Bonnyville, they have yet to hear if their applications were successful.
Ernst said, "We wanted to make sure (the MD) understood there are players on this team that live in the MD, and they’re responsible for recreation in this community as well."
The city will consider CLMH's request for financial support at a future council meeting.
