Leaside hockey tourney to draw select fans
[attach]1133[/attach]Thousands of hockey fanatics will be descending onto Leaside this winter for its 20th annual select tournament.
From Feb. 11 to 14 the Leaside Hockey Association’s novice team will host a 14-division tournament for kids ages 6–16.
For select director Paul Martin, there is plenty of excitement to be had.
“There is certainly a lot of entertainment,” he said. “It’s free admission into the arena, which is a nice aspect to our tournament.”
Home base is the Leaside Hockey Arena, but several other arenas in the midtown Toronto will welcome visitors as well.
That means there will be plenty of involvement from the locals.
“Many, many people are involved in the Leaside community,” Martin said. “We have dozens of volunteers from all different levels of the Leaside hockey program.
“We typically have community members who are not associated with Leaside hockey who also volunteer at the tournament.”
All levels from tyke to midget will take part.
Martin is unsure if Leaside’s own Maple Leaf celebrity, Sportsnet’s hockey analyst Nick Kypreos, will be around, as one of his sons played select last season.
But there will be plenty of brushes with the NHL.
“We absolutely have a lot of special items for a big raffle that we’re holding,” he added. “We always have a silent auction that is part of the tournament with hundreds if not thousands of different items included in the silent auction.”
As for the thousands of avid skaters and stick handlers who will shred ice, it’s great for being in tip-top condition, Martin said.
“It’s a great way to see the kids in the community having fun and participating in healthy activities,” he said. “It’s great for the community as well.”