The Hamlet of Arviat has released its tournament schedule at the John Ollie Complex for the upcoming hockey season.
The hamlet will close out 2024 with the Three-on-Three Christmas Challenge (ages 15 and older for main division and 35 and older for seniors division) from Dec. 26 to Dec. 30.
The new year will see Arviat host the Arviat Cup Corporate Challenge from Jan. 16-19, the 2025 Bantam Territorial Championship (for players born in 2010/2011) from Jan. 24-26, the Kivalliq Cup (ages 35 and older) from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, and the Jon Lindell Memorial (JLM) Calm Air Cup from Feb. 5-9.
Hockey organizer Gleason Uppahuak said Arviat is hosting more major tournaments because with how big the community has become, it needs more community events and it has to try and utilize every available program to make that happen.
He said he wants local kids, especially, to have something to look forward to like watching top-level hockey and participating in tournaments themselves.
“I've been receiving a lot of positive feedback over the hamlet hosting all these tournaments,” said Uppahuak. “People are telling me that they're really looking forward to it all. They can't wait to play, watch all the action and see all their hockey buddies from across the region.
“All the positive stuff that goes along with major tournaments being held in your community.”
Uppahuak said the hockey community in Arviat has been working hard to improve the perception some people still feel about hockey being hosted in the hamlet.
He said that still stems from a midget territorial tournament in the 1990s that saw a bench brawl erupt between Arviat and another team.
“I don't remember who the other team was, but the bench brawl was massive," he recalled. "I was eight or nine years old at the time and was there watching when it happened. Arviat was losing bad with only about one minute left in the game when the brawl erupted and that didn't look good on the hockey team or the community.
“Everybody jumped from the bench and started throwing punches. It was really ugly. That's where the bad reputation was born and we're still fighting hard to change that perception with some people.
“For a long time after that, our hometown crowds were really rowdy because of that one incident.”
Uppahuak said they have been making headway since the community started hosting the JLM and he's spent a lot of time promoting good, clean hockey in the community.
“Growing up, I always believed in clean hockey," he said. "You can play tough hockey, but still play clean hockey.
“When I began taking over the organizing and planning of tournaments, I'd go on the radio about a month before every tournament began to urge our crowds to be the loudest, but also the friendliest crowds visiting players have ever seen.
“That's how our crowds started to change their attitude. They started to understand good, fast, clean, safe hockey instead of trying to injure people.
“It was a long road and a lot of talking, but I feel we're (Arviat) learning to be a more welcoming hockey community and that will allow us to host even bigger and better hockey tournaments as we move forward.”
