Young Canada Week celebrates 75 years’ worth of memories from a beloved minor hockey tradition

A time-honoured minor hockey tradition is returning in a few weeks to welcome teams to its 75th anniversary in Goderich.

The Goderich Lion’s Young Canada Week (YCW) hockey tournament has been held in Goderich since 1950/1951 and this year the beloved tournament will celebrate this milestone.

There were 12 local teams that participated in in the very first, one-day tournament in 1950. Hosting 200 players in the inaugural tournament, success from the event meant expansion was inevitable.

The following year the tournament saw 26 teams participate over four days, and in 1952 it had grown to 37 teams compete over six days.

During those formative years of the tournament, YCW saw the likes of future NHLers Larry Jeffrey, Whitey Stapleton, Paul Henderson, Gary Doak, Rick MacLeish and Wayne Gretzky grace the ice at Memorial Arena in Goderich.

A decade after its inception, YCW was referred to as the biggest, little hockey tournament in the world by the 1960s.

Teams from all over Ontario continued to participate but the tournament soon drew teams from other Canadian provinces, and the United States to compete in the growing-in-popularity minor hockey tournament.

Within 20 years of the tournament, 10,000 goals had been scored, and some 27,000 players had participated.

In 1973, Wayne Gretzky, playing defence at the time, wore his white gloves and scored two goals in Brantford’s first game. They were his 100th and 101st goals of the season.

The 2,000th game of the tournament was played at the newly renovated Goderich Memorial Arena in 1977.

It wasn’t until 1985 when girls were once again making an appearance in the tournament after a 30-year absence, and in 1989 the tournament celebrated another milestone.

NHL players Larry Jeffrey and Gary Doak returned, years later after playing in the tournament as kids, to be part of the 40th anniversary opening ceremonies.

By the 1990s, the tournament rolled into its fifth decade, and despite how much time had passed and how many other tournaments became established, YCW continued to draw teams from all over to fill various divisions.

In 1999, the granddaddy of all minor hockey tournaments celebrated its 50th anniversary with a long list of NHL celebrities headlined by Jean Beliveau.

Over the years, YCW has been more than just a hockey tournament for the Town of Goderich and volunteers who have helped throughout the years. It is a living tradition that unites the community with a passion for the game of hockey, sharing in joy and camaraderie.

In 2014, hockey legend Leonard ‘Red’ Kelly and fellow Stanley Cup winner and local Larry Jeffrey, along with Joe O’Brien who refereed during the first YCW in 1950, took part in the opening ceremonies.

That year, 12 girls’ teams and 61 boys’ teams took part in the tournament.

Despite numbers dwindling in the 2010s, due to a plethora of tournaments to choose from, and a few years where the tournament couldn’t be held, most recently during the COVID-19 pandemic, YCW has been able to maintain its position as the longest running minor hockey tournament in Canada.

Those postponements in 2020 and 2021 played a part in the survival of the world’s oldest minor hockey tournament.

It was in 2022 that YCW featured three age categories – U13, U15 and U18 in both Local League (LL) and Rep Divisions.

With this adjustment, each year following the pandemic, the tournament was once again filled with teams ready to compete in the historic minor hockey tournament in Goderich.

A tournament born from the love of the game that has survived decades, postponements, and has seen many NHLers skate upon its ice, the YCW in Goderich has proven to be a timeless tradition of sportsmanship, community and a beloved piece of history for this town.

As a result of the dedication from volunteers, organisers, sponsors, coaches and players, YCW continues to be the highlight to a hockey season for many.

In its 75th year, with a proper celebration and events planned to mark the occasion, YCW continues to be the tournament that will never be forgotten throughout the decades to come.