Hockey for Hospice raises record totals

By Ron Giofu

It was a record setting year for the Hockey for Hospice Tournament.

The 26th house league hockey tournament was held over the holidays and the three-day event brought in $531,264.85 in 2022. The tournament was held Dec. 27-29 with venues including the Libro Centre in Amherstburg, the Vollmer Complex in LaSalle, the Essex Centre Sports Complex and Tecumseh Arena.

Co-organizer Tim Beaulieu said during the Wednesday portion of the tournament that things were running smoothly.

There were 124 teams and over 230 hockey games played on eight ice pads at the four arenas.

“It’s exactly the same amount of teams as last year,” said Beaulieu.

The previous Hockey for Hospice Tournament was actually held in February 2022, over the Family Day weekend, due to COVID-19 pandemic health restrictions having pushed it back from the Christmas holidays in 2021. This year was actually the 27th year for the tournament but one year was cancelled due to the pandemic.

The 2022 version of the Hockey for Hospice tournament included the addition of additional children’s activities, as Mad Science and bouncy castles were set up inside the Libro Centre’s indoor soccer facility to keep young players occupied between games.

Amherstburg was the site of a jamboree as part of the tournament, as the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) prevents players in the U7, U8 and U9 divisions from competing in an actual tournament, Beaulieu stated.

Beaulieu recalled the event began as a skateathon at the former AMA Arena in Amherstburg that raised just under $2,000. He was hopeful to at least match last year’s total of $482,618 but they exceeded that by far. In its 26 years, Hockey for Hospice has seen its players raise over $4.7 million for the Hospice of Windsor-Essex County.

The teams were mainly from the Windsor-Essex County region, but Beaulieu stated the furthest teams travelled for the tournament was from Wallaceburg.

While the tournament itself was three full days, Beaulieu said “hundreds and hundreds” of volunteer hours went into it even before the hockey tournament started. The organization and registration of teams took many hours to complete by a team of volunteers who donate their time and efforts.

“When you have 124 teams, you need to be organized,” said Beaulieu. “Our volunteers do a phenomenal job year-after-year.”

The tournament has become a family legacy, with Beaulieu noting he and his wife Janet started the tournament and soon brought in Paul Pietraszko as co-chair. He said their kids played in it and are now running arenas and having their spouses involved with it.

“They are a huge part of it,” said Beaulieu.

What keeps Beaulieu and the volunteers going is the need for such services as the Hospice of Windsor-Essex County.

“There’s so much the government doesn’t fund and we want to keep offering services to those who need it free of charge,” said Beaulieu.

Nancy Brockenshire, executive director with the Hospice of Windsor-Essex County, said the tournament provides much appreciated support.

“It means a whole lot in order to keep operating with no extra costs to families and residents,” she said. “It also creates awareness to kids about palliative care.”

Brockenshire pointed out it is not just a fundraising event, but an educational one as well as the young players learn about Hospice and what it does. She said she visits dressing rooms and talks to players about Hospice during the tournament.

Hockey for Hospice also features “an incredible group of volunteers and organizers, to say the least.” Brockenshire added the proceeds will benefit the general operations of the Hospice of Windsor-Essex County.

“I’m proud to be part of it,” stated Brockenshire. “These are amazing people who work hard for us.”

Southpoint Minor Hockey teams were very involved in the Hockey for Hospice Tournament last week. Above, the Southpoint U7 Whites play against Amherstburg Blue Timbits on Wednesday, December 28. Photos by Ron Giofu and Evon Brockett Jr.