Two Olympic athletes, gold medalist of the Canada national hockey team Meaghan Mikkelson, and gold medalist of the Canada national curling team Ben Hebert are joining the second annual Tim Horton’s Western Canada Pond Hockey Championships on Dec. 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“The Olympians are sponsored by the RBC branch. They have really stepped up. They are the ones who are bringing out the athletes,” said Tim Horton’s Western Canada Pond Hockey Championships Event Chair Alex Halat.
“A huge thank-you goes to our local RBC branch for helping promote the event,” Halat added. “We’re pretty excited to bring out some Olympians.”
With large crowds expected again this year, Halat encourages anyone wanting to meet the athletes to get to the tournament early.
It was important for Halat to have athletes attend the Tim Horton’s Western Canada Pond Hockey Championships because the majority of people participating in the tournament look up to Olympians.
“They’re a big part of what children eventually want to achieve. Every little kid wants to be an NHL player of an Olympian. A lot of these folks are heroes to a lot of the kids,” Halat said.
This year, Halat is anticipating another large crowd, with around five to seven thousand people, two additional skating rinks, more teams, and large sponsors.
Along with large sponsors, local businesses have sponsored 20 teams.
“We have about 20 teams that have been sponsored by local companies, which is awesome, and it gives every person the ability to come and play,” Halat said.
Red Bull will have a large tent in the middle of the venue, and Tim Horton’s will be back as the headline sponsor, offering hot chocolate and Tim Bits throughout the tournament.
“We have tons of food trucks, essentially, we’ve built ourselves a little mini fair on the lake to showcase our town,” Halat said.
“Just like last year, we’re excited to see the economic impact the tournament has on our town in those three-days. We definitely want to see people jump on board, and support local, and keep these businesses around for a long time,” Halat said.
He added, “Talking to some of the restaurants in town, it was some of the best three-days they had all year.”
Teams are encouraged to register for the Tim Horton’s Western Canada Pond Hockey Championships until Dec. 10.
“We’re definitely excited,” Halat said.
“Expect old-time hockey. The good old days of playing under the sky, and playing pond hockey,” he said.
