So you’ve decided to host a hockey tournament – congratulations! You’re a champion. Now what?
First things first. Call the city you’re in and see what size ice sheet you’ll need. Then, figure out how many teams you’ll need. Last but not least, decide on the format. Is it an 8-team singles elimination tournament, or a group stage with 4 teams per group? These are just a few of the many questions you need to ask yourself before you can start making detailed plans.
Here, we’ll talk about the nuts and bolts of setting up a hockey tournament – what will you need, and how will you need to plan to make it work.
Table of Contents
Basic Requirements
A good place to start is with the basics. What do you need to host a tournament? Most importantly, you need ice. Some cities have large frozen lakes that you can utilize for the tournament. If not, you’ll have to look into renting a large ice sheet in the winter or buying ice in the summer. If money is no object to you, look into the possibilities of holding the tournament in the winter and not having to pay for ice.
Next, you need players. More than anything else, your tournament will depend on having enough quality participants. Without good players, you won’t have any chance of doing well. You can hold a tryout for prospective players, or get them from your own club. If you’re on the fence about whether or not to hold a tryout, do it! You’ll have plenty of material to choose from, and it’s the best way to find out if any of your players are worth keeping or dismissing from your team. If you don’t have the money to hold a tryout, hold a mini-tournament at your local club to see who’s available. It’s also a great way to introduce the game to potential new players. Finally, you need a puck. An actual puck will work just fine for a hockey tournament. You can also use mini-pucks or marshmallow pucks for younger players.
Where Should The Tournament Be Held?
This is a crucial decision and can dramatically change the course of your hockey tournament. If you don’t have a lot of room in your own backyard, look into the possibilities of hosting the tournament at a different location. If you live in a small town, there are a number of larger cities that have ice hockey rinks. Hold the tournament there and take the ice home with you. This will be much more convenient for your participants and should alleviate any concerns about finding suitable place to practice – especially if you have more than 8 teams competing.
If you decide to hold the tournament at a different location, be sure to get the all-important ice rights. You’ll need to speak to the rink owner or manager and make sure they give you permission to use their ice for the entire duration of your tournament. The same goes for any hotels or restaurants that you might use as accommodation for the teams. Always check with the manager first and try to work something out – especially if you’re on a tight budget. If this is something that you’re worried about, consider renting a warehouse to hold the tournament instead. This will cost you more money but will give you the freedom to move around as you please. Some hockey tournaments even hold their events at a different city each week to give the participants a change of scenery and keep things interesting.
How Many Teams Should You Have?
This is a tricky one. On the one hand, you want to ensure that there’s plenty of top-notch competition. On the other, you don’t want to give the tournament the vibe of a club game. Once you’ve decided where the event will take place, you can work on figuring out the number of teams you’ll need. It depends on a variety of circumstances, but you can usually get an idea of how many teams will be coming from the website of the national governing body, or by asking the local ice hockey association. If you have more than 8 teams, you might want to add a few more to make it a competition of the highest caliber. A good rule of thumb is to add more teams than you have spaces available for. This will make sure that everyone has a place to stay and that travel costs are covered for those traveling from out of town. It’s also a good idea to add more teams than you need to keep people interested. More than anything else, this is a money-saving measure. If you do end up with a surplus of teams, you can consider turning some of them into a league for the fall season.
What Shall The Tournament Be Called?
Once you’ve decided where the tournament will take place and how many teams you’ll have, you can start thinking about naming the thing. The tournament’s name will be engraved on the trophy that you, as the organizer, will present to the winning team. You should pick a name that’s both unique and representative of what your tournament is all about. If you’re on a tight budget, feel free to use an acronym or an abbreviation that’s easy to say and remember. If you have no money and no time for a lengthy name, use the acronym HCHT for “Hockey Championships Hosted By The Taylor Lautner Foundation”. Everyone will know what it means, and it won’t take long to say either. Remember, you’re trying to have an engaging name that will be easy to chant at the end of each game. Inspirational names like these are just what you need to keep your participants motivated and engaged:
Hockey
– An acronym for “Hockey Is Life”. This is the official name of the sport played in the movie Slap Shot. This is also the name of a famous hockey player named Ron Francis, who played for the New York Rangers. If you play by the rules of the game, you’ll be able to secure the puck and score. If not, you’ll have to deal with retaliation as the last resort. Finally, this is also the name of a famous hockey arena in Canada. The last two reasons alone might make this the perfect nickname for your tournament.
Champions
– This is the name of the annual championship match that takes place in the movie Slap Shot. For those unfamiliar, in Slap Shot, a puck is introduced to the game at the end of the first period. After that, the goal is to be the first player to score a goal. The first player to score 4 goals wins the match and is crowned the champion. A good rule of thumb is that if you can start a chant of “Champions!” at the end of each period, you’ve essentially achieved the same thing. The sport’s governing body also has a championship match known as the Stanley Cup Finals, which is played every year for the Stanley Cup. This is presented to the team that wins the most games during the season. If you want to be a champion, you have to train hard and play every game as if it’s the last.
There you have it. A simple rundown of how to host a hockey tournament. From coming up with an idea to finalizing the details, it wasn’t easy. But with a little planning and research, you can put this idea into reality. Just remember, the key to success is to have fun while also being able to maintain high standards. If you keep these things in mind, then you’re sure to run a successful hockey tournament. Good luck out there.