Young Canada Week Began its Journey into the 2000s on a Positive Note to Uphold Storied Traditions

The Goderich Lions Young Canada Week (YCW) hockey tournament started its journey into the 2000s on a very positive note.

Success of the 50th anniversary celebration in 1999 provided a solid foundation for the tournament’s future.

The event upheld its storied tradition, cementing its reputation as one of Canada’s premier minor hockey showcases.

Luminaries such as Jean Beliveau, Walter Gretzky, Marcel Dionne, Ron Ellis, Walter Tkaczuk, Rod Seiling, Jim McKenney, Nick Libett, Dennis Riggin, Pat Stapleton, and those with local roots including Paul Henderson, Larry Jeffrey, Gary Doak and Jeff Denomme bridged the gap between the grassroots of peewee hockey and the professional game.

For the Town of Goderich, YCW was a lot more than just a hockey tournament. It was a living tradition about community, resilience and shared joy.

YCW would continue to be a cornerstone of the town’s identification. Local businesses thrived during the week while families, friends and alumni returned each year to relive old memories and create new ones.

Before a large opening night crowd the Goderich Lions peewees opened the 2000 tournament with a 2-0 shutout win over London MHA.

Goalies Dylan Jacobs and Dean Daer shared the shutout, while James Gartshore and Mike Moody scored the goals.

East Middlesex won the AAA crown, East Gwillimbury took the AA title, Owen Sound the A and South London won the B honours.

Dorchester won the C championship by beating Lucknow 4-3 in overtime and Zurich went home with the D title.

An ad in the YCW News invited the players to see a live reptile show at the Suncoast Mall.

At the 2001 tournament, co-chairs Don Johnston, Kevin Meriam, Ron Takalo and George Zolob paid tribute to the volunteers, ice sponsors, meal preparers, the volunteer referees and the chuck-a-puck and mountain bike draw sponsors.

Champions for the 2001 tournament included Waterloo, Georgetown, Chatham, London MHA, Forest and Lucan.

In 2002, mother nature played a role with teams being storm-stayed or unable to attend.

On championship Saturday, the winners were: AAA Central Ontario, AA Milton, A Essex, B New Hamburg, C Tavistock, and D Lucan.

Don Johnston was again a co-chair.

In 2003, Don’s wife Linda dropped the puck at the opening ceremonies in memory of Don who had died recently in an industrial accident.

Mayor Deb Shewfelt and MC Clem Wolterbeek spoke glowingly of Don’s dedication to YCW and girl’s hockey in Goderich.

Linda was also presented with the Nova Scotia plaque by YCW co-chair Ron Takalo.

Co-chairs in 2003 were Lion Harold Warren, a member of the Goderich Flyers Ontario Junior C Championship team of 1945.

The championship teams in 2003 included AAA Huron-Perth Lakers, AA Milton, A Saugeen Shores, B Mooretown, C South Huron and D Paisley.

It was in 2004 that the Maitland Recreation Centre opened, giving the tournament a new outstanding facility, and along with Memorial Arena, two ice surfaces to work with.

This made room for the addition of a girl’s division, and this remained a feature of YCW for the next 13 years.

The Goderich Sailorettes, coached by Kevin Austin, were the girl’s division champions in 2004 and won the Don Johnston Memorial Trophy.

The Meriam family presented the Ashley Meriam Memorial Trophy to the runner-up Woodstock squad.

At the opening ceremonies in 2004, the puck-drop guests were Carlyle and Marilyn Bannister. Marilyn was recognized as one of the YCW’s greatest fans.

In 2005, Local League teams were added to the tournament for the first time.

Bill Beacom, a former referee-in-chief and Ken Crawford, the current referee-in-chief, presented the Huronia Most Sportsmanlike Team Trophy to the Goderich Local League Sailors.

In 2006, the Stratford Warriors Minor Peewee team wrote praising the YMCA’s outstanding features and told how they enjoyed their time at the local bowling alley. They praised how helpful the local Ford dealership had been to them when they needed assistance.

In 2007, the Goderich Minor Hockey Association played a big part in the organization of the tournament, and the level of play seemed to go up a notch. Perhaps that was in response to Canada winning the gold medal in the IIHF World Championships the same year.

In 2008, the 59th YCW, the Goderich Lions won the runner-up trophy in the B Division.

The AAA winners were the Kitchener Junior Rangers, while Lambeth Lancers won the B Division defeating Goderich 6-2.

Chace Duckworth and Jake Lapointe scored the Goderich goals.

Ridgetown won the C Division, and Durham won the D title, while Chatsworth defeated the Goderich Sailorettes for the championship title in the girl’s division.

It was in 2009 that YCW celebrated its 60th anniversary.

The Celtic Blue Highlanders piped in the celebrities, which included Lion President Bill Vanstone, co-chairs Ray Allin and Terry Worsell, MP Ben Lobb and Mayor Deb Shewfelt.

Several players from the first YCW in 1950 were introduced, and one of them, Fred Buchanan, dropped the puck in the ceremonial face-oof involving his grandson Luke Fraser of the Goderich Lions team.

The Lions won the consolation trophy in the B division in 2009, and the Sailorettes lost the consolation final in their division.

As the preparations for the upcoming 75th anniversary tournament in March 2026 continue to move ahead, certain details are emerging.

An invitation is extended to anyone with special memories of past tournaments to submit them to ‘YCW 75 Years of Memories’.

During the 75th anniversary tournament, the Hockey Hall of Fame will have trophies on display, along with interactive exhibits and plans are now progressing for an exhibition game between a YCW alumni team and the Toronto Maple Leafs alumni team.

It’s clear that as years progressed, the tournament continue to grow and evolve, but one thing has remained a constant. This legendary tournament has continued to be a success due to the constant support of the community, from local businesses to dignitaries, and volunteers to fans of the great tournament.

Next column we take a look back at what the YCW tournament brought in the 2010s.