Bantam hockey players competing at the most recent Kamloops International Bantam Ice Hockey Tournament at the end of 2016.
Image Credit: YOUTUBE/themastermindstudio
March 24, 2017 - 9:00 PM
KAMLOOPS - The Kamloops International Bantam Ice Hockey Tournament is heading toward its 50 anniversary in January 2017, more than nine months away.
As part of the landmark anniversary a video has been put together celebrating and sharing the spirt of what is arguably Kamloops most famous annual tournament.
The video captures scenes from the tournament last year and includes interviews with participating coaches and players, organizers and scouts.
Ted Kowalsky, chair of the tournament's board, says he’s already well into the organization of the next tournament, booked for Jan. 3 to Jan. 7, 2018, and an event to celebrate the tournament's history.
A 1,200 person banquet is the goal, with alumni who participated in past tournaments in attendance or sending in memories. Kowalsky says he’s already been in touch with Mark Recchi and is working on other big names from the hockey world.
“We’ve got a huge alumni group that have gone on to the NHL or Europe,” he says. “Now for the opening ceremonies for the 50th we want to do something really big.”
The tournament regularly features some of the best bantam hockey in the world, and recently included teams based in Hungary, Italy and Hong Kong. Kowalsky says tournament organizers have to be selective of the teams participating to make sure all teams are competitive.
“If you’re a mediocre team team you won’t fit in,” he says. “It’s not that we don’t want you, but we have to be selective.”
Kowalsky believes it to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest, tournament of its type.
“It started out as local tournament in north Kamloops,” he says. “It very quickly became international by bringing in teams from the USA.”
Now it’s likely the most famous of the Tournament Capital's tournaments and something the city can take pride in, he says.
“The city is really proud of the facilities that we have and the class of tournament we put on. We’re selling quality hockey, a first class tournament.”
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News from © iNFOnews, 2017