Meagan Simpson, Centretown News
Ottawa city councillors Catherine McKenney and Jeff Leiper drop the ceremonial puck at Plouffe Park marking the beginning of the first annual Winter Classic hockey tournament to celebrate Hockey Day in Canada.In celebration of Hockey Day in Canada, and their love of the sport, two Ottawa communities volunteered together to create a hockey tournament of their own.
The first annual Plouffe Park Winter Classic tournament, held on Feb.14, was a collaborative event put on by the Plant Pool Recreation Association, the Hintonburg Recreation Association and the Odawa Aboriginal Athletics Club.
Four local diverse teams from the communities – The Odawa Redmen, a First Nation, Métis and Inuit co-ed team from the Odawa Athletic club; the Asian Sensation from Chinatown; the OG Capitals, an LGBTQ team; and the Braden All Stars from Hintonburg – were all invited to play, but the cold and snowy weather made for a low turnout.
Musician Steve Canadian was also present, playing O Canada and Stompin’ Tom Connors’ The Hockey Song on the saxophone.
The event, largely organized by community volunteers of the Somerset and Kitchissippi wards, was a big push in getting more help with the rink and to get the local community involved in its maintenance, Plant Pool events co-ordinator Lorrie Marlow says.
She says the main message of the games is of two communities coming together to celebrate Hockey Day in Canada to emphasize the importance of local rinks and volunteers that help keep them running.
“The four teams wanted to host a little tournament and we loved the idea because it really captures our neighbourhood,” Marlow says. “Hockey tends to cross all genres.”
Randy Way, a community volunteer and Métis person, spearheaded and approached Marlow about the event, which took roughly a month to put together.
Way, who is also on a co-ed hockey team and part of the Odawa hub, says the community needs volunteers at the rink.
“The rink is an important community focal point,” he says. “It’s in a diverse community.”
Word of mouth, informal conversation and social media were the main ways in which teams became aware of the event. Players are also able to drop by and be put on a team, as inclusivity was key to these games.
“We thought we’d be inclusive to other kind of community’s, different types of diversity.” Way says.
“That was the goal, to get a informal, fun, social event on Valentine’s Day or Hockey Day in Canada.”
Way says he hopes to make this an annual event.
“Many of us come from across Canada and as Aboriginal People you grow up with a community rink and sometimes its outdoors… a bit of Canadiana I guess.”
Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney and Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper were there for a ceremonial faceoff and support the cause.
“It’s outside, it’s wonderful to enjoy winter, I love the community focus that this has, Leiper says. “It’s a wonderful community building exercise.”
Leiper says he likes how this event goes across the bridge, meaning it allows communities separated by the O-Train tracks to actually get together and make it past the divide.
Based on his own experience of hosting community events,, Leiper says “neighbourhood and community events provide an opportunity for people not just to engage in recreation, but to get to know their neighbours.”
McKenney, who also donated hot chocolate for the event, likes the community building initiative.
“I think it’s fantastic for the neighbourhood, and to have a fun day of hockey in the neighbourhood, at Plouffe Park is fantastic,” she says.
McKenney says the rink is significant in terms of keeping it as a recreation space in the Somerset Ward.
Both councillors have no doubt of the positive effect the game has on the communities and support having it as an annual event.
“Once you do the first one, the organization of the subsequent ones become almost turnkey, so I have no doubt that this will become an annual tradition in our communities,” Leiper says.