Come out and join the celebration as Greater Trail celebrates Minor Hockey Day on Saturday.
Over 200 players, 20 teams, and a dozen matches hit the ice at the Trail Memorial Centre for a full day of fun and games in recognition of 62 years of Minor Hockey Day in Trail.
And Trail has a lot to celebrate, as the City with as storied a hockey history as any in Canada.
Youth hockey started in Trail in 1934 with 11 teams that included five Bantam, four Midget, and two Juvenile teams participating. By 1939, the Trail Boys Booster Hockey Club replaced the original organization and recruited 130 players to its ranks, under the direction of its first president, 15-year-old Jake MacLeod.
The organization grew by leaps and bounds and soon became the Trail Minor Hockey Association in 1950 with over 500 boys registered and teams playing for regional and provincial championships.
In 1955, the first female hockey league in BC was formed in Trail with four teams competing.
Trail minor hockey director Charlie McLean then introduced Minor Hockey Week to the Silver City in 1957, with the slogan “Don’t send your boy to play hockey – Take him.”
The following year, the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association liked the idea so much, they made it an annual event celebrated across Canada.
Almost every city and town in the country now celebrates minor hockey with events, games and tournaments planned.
As the origin of Minor Hockey Day, it’s only fitting that the festivities kick off Saturday morning at the Trail Memorial Centre, with the Annual Pancake Breakfast provided by the USW Local 480 starting at 8 a.m. and going until 11 a.m.
The Cominco Arena will see a full day of action starting with Atom hockey at 8 a.m. and wrapping up with the Bantam House game at 2:45 p.m.
A Pee Wee House tournament is also set to drop the puck at the Rossland Arena and Beaver Valley Arena throughout the weekend.
With the Trail Smoke Eaters on the road, fans and minor hockey players can cheer on the Beaver Valley Nitehawks as they host the Murdoch Division leading Nelson Leafs, with the puck drop at 7:30 at the Beaver Valley Arena.
See today’s Trail Times’ “Salute to Minor Hockey” supplement for game times, team photos, and much more.
