Liftlock Atom Hockey Tournament marking milestone
The Peterborough Liftlock Atom Hockey Tournament is ready to celebrate its Diamond Jubilee.
The celebrations begin Saturday when 250 past participants, volunteers and sponsors will attend a 60th anniversary luncheon at the Evinrude Centre. Peterborough native, tournament alumnus and former NHL player Doug Gibson will be the guest speaker.
Tournament organizers unveiled other plans for the tournament during a press conference Wednesday morning at the Peterborough and District Sports Hall of Fame.
This year’s tournament will be among the largest yet with 126 teams, up 10 from 2017, and 2,000 players in 11 different atom divisions playing 243 games on 12 area ice pads at 10 arenas from Jan. 11 to 14.
The Russelle Toyota Skills Competition will be held from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Evinrude Centre featuring 281 players from 22 area house league teams.
There are two other projects the anniversary committee undertook to acknowledge the 60th anniversary. One was a $25,000 donation, to be matched by the Smilezone Foundation, to renovate the pediatricsoutpatient clinic at Peter borough Regional Health Centre into a “kidfriendly” zone (see related story on Page C5).
The other was the creation of a special commemorative diamond that will be given to one lucky tournament participant. It’s a Canadian diamond mounted on an Inuksuk with a retail value of more than $600. Fox Law sponsored the diamond supplied by Peoples Jewellers.
Each tournament participant will get a ballot in their welcome kit they can fill out and enter in draw boxes at each arena to win the diamond, said tournament director Don Smith.
The annual Wall of Honour Inductees will be recognized at the anniversary luncheon as well a the Frank Lustic Memorial and Steve Casey Award winners. Those winners were unveiled on Wednesday.
Bill Hurst, a tournament volunteer for 30 years, received the Steve Casey Award which goes to a volunteer who has gone the extra mile in contributing to the tournament’s success.
Wally Moore, a tournament director and volunteer for 30 years, won the Frank Lustic Memorial Award to a person who exemplifies the qualities Lustic displayed in his dedication to the tournament are minor sports. Moore and Lustic were both long-time General Electric employees.
“When I read these names and see all the fellow GE guys who I have worked with who have won this it’s a great honour,” Moore said.
PLAHT officials also announced that Pedal For Hope will be their charity of choice for 2018. Pedal For Hope is a team of cyclists, primarily police officers, who raise funds to fight children’s cancers by cycling across Central Ontario visiting area schools.
“The Canadian Cancer Society and Pedal For Hope is an amazing partnership in the fight against pediatrics cancer,” said Pedal For Hope chairman John Townsend. “We’re absolutely honoured to be the charity of choice for this year’s tournament. Our Pedal For Hope team empowers kids in the schools to help kids in the community who are fighting cancer. It’s a small army of kids.”
Like the PLAHT, Townsend said, Pedal For Hope, created in 2005, is a Peterborough initiative.
“Pedal For Hope is also about a healthy lifestyle; physically, mentally and spiritually,” said Townsend. “What better way to showcase that than the Liftlock Atom Hockey Tournament.”
Tournament games kick off with local house league teams on Jan. 11 at the Evinrude Centre. All divisions swing into action Jan. 12 with the Chris Fee Cup opening ceremonies game at 11 a.m. at the Memorial Centre. Tournament finals are on Jan. 14 at the PMC.