They can’t hit the ice to play their favourite game, so the North Shore Winter Club’s vaunted hockey program has taken their dangles to the digital world.
The club will be holding a PS4 NHL 2020 e-sports video game tournament June 5-6 with prizes and bragging rights on the line.
“I wish we could be doing tournaments on the ice,” said NSWC hockey program and events co-ordinator Emily Allen. “But we figured this is kind of a good opportunity to still have the kids trying to get together but virtually, obviously, and come together through hockey, just a different way than they normally do.”
The Winter Club, shut down in March like most other large facilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has reopened to some activities recently, including individual or small group on-ice sessions for members, but the return of full-on team hockey still appears to be a long way off. This online tournament provides a good opportunity for players to get some of that feeling of playing with their hockey friends again, said Allen.
“I think it'll be cool to bring kids together who haven't seen each other but were on the same team last year, or in spring hockey they would have been, and now they're obviously not doing that,” she said.
The online tournament – which is open to everyone, not just club members – will also act as a fundraiser for the club’s minor hockey program. Typically at this time of year the Winter Club would be prepping for golf and road hockey tournaments as fundraisers, but those are off the table this year.
It’s $30 to register for the e-sports hockey tournament, with half proceeds going to the club’s minor hockey association (the other half will go to the company that is running the tournament). If all goes well, there may be more online tournaments coming up in the future, said Allen.
“It should be fun, and there seems to be a lot of interest. So we're hoping it'll grow.”
Click here to register or to get more information on the tournament. Registration closes June 4 at 6 p.m.
