Young Canada Week: Celebrating 75 years of an historic hockey tournament in Goderich

Months ago, it was decided that the 75th anniversary of the Young Canada Week – often called the Granddaddy of all minor hockey tournaments – should have a proper celebration to acknowledge the rich history of the beloved hockey tournament.

The party begins on Friday, March 13 at the Maitland Recreation Centre (MRC) and this year’s 75th anniversary edition of the tournament will be a party to be remembered.

According to Mike Alcock and Brandon Corriveau, co-chairs of the Goderich Lions Young Canada Week tournament, Monday, March 16 has been designated as Young Canada Celebration Day.

Instead of regular tournament games, a series of special events will be held including a Hockey Hall of Fame exhibit in the gymnasium at MRC, with interactive activities and an NHL trophy display.

There will also be a showcase featuring a historical look at the tournament through the decades of its existence.

On the ice, there will be a full day of exhibition games including a U13 Huron Heat girls’ game and A Division showcase games, featuring the Southwest Admirals U12, U13, U14, U16 and U18 teams, plus a AAA Division contest.

The main event on March 16 is at 7:30 p.m. with a match-up of the Toronto Maple Leafs alumni team and a Young Canada Week alumni squad, which promises to be an unforgettable highlight.

Tickets for this game are being sold at the MRC at times shown on the 75th Young Canada Week Facebook page. They are also available at Huronia Welding on Suncoast Drive and online at Eventbrite.com.

The Maple Leafs team features captains Doug Gilmore and Rick Vaive as well as Nik Antroov, Todd Warriner, Al Lafrate, Gary Leeman, Brad May, Todd Gill, Dan Winnik, among others, and coached by Rod Seiling.

The Young Canada Week team features players from the various eras of the tournament and includes the possibility of NHLers Dave Shaw, Dave McIlwain and Cal O’Reilly.

The team will be coached by myself – Richard Madge – who coached Goderich Lions teams in the tournament over a number of years, including the team of 1980, which won the B Championship.

The regular tournament games begin with the U13 Division on Friday, March 13 with the first puck drop at 9:30 a.m. The official opening ceremonies will be at 7 p.m. that evening, prior to the Goderich Sailors game.

The Local League (LL) and Rep Championship games will be played on that Sunday.

The U15 games will run from March 17 until March 19, while the U18 games run from March 20 until March 22.

There is free admission to all events, except the showcase alumni game on Monday, March 16.

A 50/50 draw will run throughout the tournament, with the winning ticket to be drawn March 22 at 9:30 p.m.  Last years total surpassed $28,000 and an even larger amount is expected for this year.

On Celebration Day, a bonus draw will see two 75th anniversary jerseys autographed by the NHL alumni players up for grabs.

Tickets for the 50/50 draw will be sold at the arena all week and are also available at rafflebox.ca.

A separate jersey raffle will offer 18 NHL and two Team Canada Olympic jerseys as prizes. Two jerseys will be awarded each day with draws at 7 p.m.

On Celebration Day on March 16, two Doug Gilmore autographed jerseys will be the prizes.

With all these special prizes and events, the 75th anniversary represents a notable milestone in the history of the beloved tournament.

It will also be the last tournament for both Mike Alcock and Brandon Corriveau as co-chairs.

Both issues statements regarding their Young Canada Week tenures.

Alcock stressed that it has been an honour to be involved for the past five tournaments, especially through a rebirth of the tournament that involved the expansion from a single age group to now including three age divisions.

“I am proud of how Young Canada Week has been able to adapt to the changing organisation of youth hockey and I look forward to assisting the next chairs as they strive to make Young Canada Week an even bigger success,” said Alcock.

Corriveau participated as a player and a winning coach in the tournament and stated it was an honour to serve as a co-chair.

On the organisational side, Corriveau thanked Alcock and former Goderich Minor Hockey President Mike McBride for helping to revive the tournament’s success by changing its format to include new divisions of play.

He also paid tribute to the work of his wife Tara Corriveau, crediting her with being the organisational and scheduling backbone of the tournament for several years.

“As the 75th celebration comes to an end, so will my tenure as co-chair of the tournament,” Corriveau remarked.

“My hope is that the future tournament organisers will continue to bring a passion that will cement the life-long memories of Young Canada Week in the next generations of participants.”

As the 75th Young Canada Week draws closer, the anticipation grows to celebrate the historic minor hockey tournament that holds a special place in the hearts of those who were privileged to play or coach in this beloved tournament that remains an important part of Goderich.

For all game times and more information, visit Young Canada Week’s Facebook page or website.