You try really hard to stand up, but sometimes things happen, but they happen to everyone. Besides, sliding on the ice is fun too! North Dundas Minor Hockey Association (NDMHA) held a U7 Fun Day in Winchester, giving the youngest players a break from drills to just chase the puck and play. Tinkess Photo

WINCHESTER – Sat., Jan. 17 was Hockey Day in Canada, the 25th celebration of “our game” and what it means to us. If you’re just a little bit cynical, you see it as a major marketing ploy by the NHL in cooperation with Canadian broadcasters to draw on the emotional appeal the game has for those of us north of the 45th parallel to sell advertising in the slower, post-holiday period. It is difficult to argue that this isn’t part of it. All seven of the Canadian NHL teams were in action: Montreal travelled to Ottawa, Edmonton visited Vancouver, Winnipeg faced off against Toronto, leaving the Calgary Flames to recruit the New York Islanders as an opponent. (Wouldn’t Quebec City be a perfect fit to enable all Canadian teams to play Canadian opponents on this day?)

By the way, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, and Edmonton came away with wins.

Fortunately, another aspect of Hockey Day in Canada has developed and grown since the event’s inception in 2000. Hockey associations across Canada have jumped on board with their own special events to celebrate the game so many love and from which so many have special memories, as players, as coaches, as parents, as fans.

One of these events took place in Winchester where North Dundas Minor Hockey Association (NDMHA) held a U7 (Under age seven) Fun Day, giving some of the games newest and youngest participants the opportunity to throw away the drills and practices for one day and just chase the puck and play the game.

The appearance of the game, even at this level has changed a great deal. Gone are the days where parents were happy if all the players on their child’s team had the same colour jersey, let alone from the same franchise. Today, thanks to our favourite purveyor of coffee and donuts, players even at this introductory level have matching jerseys and socks. Most have black helmets, although there is a scattering of pink. For all intents and purposes, they look like smaller versions of their older counterparts, minus the excessive advertising that has crept into the pro game.

Thank you to the person(s) who had the wisdom to divide the ice surface into two segments with foam bumpers, essentially doubling the amount of available ice time while also realizing that 200 feet is a long way for those little legs to travel, especially while trying to remain vertical AND control the puck. Half-ice is perfect and it doesn’t seem to have decreased the fun component one bit.

North Dundas did a wonderful job in organizing this event. With teams from North Dundas, South Stormont, Osgoode and Metcalfe, there was a full day of activity from 8:00 a.m. until things wrapped up at about 7:00 p.m.

In addition to the on-ice activity, there were colouring stations, cotton candy, a raffle for gift baskets, a visit from the North Dundas Fire Department, and what is usually the best part of any tournament, the canteen!

Almost certainly there were, give or take, 150 players, 30 or more coaches, and countless parents, grandparents, and siblings who slept well that night. Tournaments are exhausting for everyone involved, including the many dedicated volunteers who seldom get the credit they deserve. Emily Sheldrick, the NDMHA U7 Convenor is one of those volunteers.

“Our littlest Timbit hockey Players look forward to this event each year,” said Sheldrick. “Each team plays a total of 3-4 scrimmages against other associations throughout the day. We raffled off some amazing prizes donated from our hockey families.

“So many amazing hockey memories were made, smiles all around, and plenty of fun on and off the ice.”

Sheldrick was quick to pass on credit to what was a very successful day. “A huge thank you to our families, volunteers, coaches and the Township of North Dundas for being such an important part of this special day – we couldn’t have done it without you!

“Special thanks as well to The Milk Board, Triple B Canteen and Winchester BMR for their generous donations that helped fuel our players throughout the day. What a fantastic day for our U7s!”

Watching the pro teams is a lot of fun, but if you want to see the true spirit of hockey all you need to do is stop by any local rink to see the U7 players. I dare you not to smile!