December 01, 2011
Posted in BC Edition, Minor, Tournament Results, Female
By Kristi Patton /
It was the ultimate hockey weekend for more than 1,000 female hockey players who came from across the continent to participate in this year’s Wickenheiser International Women’s Hockey Festival.
“The opportunity that our girls have with the totally inclusive approach where our girls can play great hockey, but also learn from the best of the best off the ice too is phenomenal,” said Moe Velji, whose daughter plays for the Burnaby Wildcats, the partner minor hockey association for the festival.
The brainchild of women’s hockey superstar Hayley Wickenheiser, the event held from Nov. 18 to 21 at Burnaby 8-Rinks was more than just your average hockey tournament. A lineup of Olympians, highly regarded coaches, scouts and trainers addressed a number of topics for the young players.
“I want it to be a holistic development of a hockey player,” said Wickenheiser. “People need to understand the game on the ice is just a small part of what goes into being a hockey player and there is lots out there that you need to do to prepare yourself and that is what we are trying to achieve with this.”
Some of the most popular off-ice activities included an opportunity for participants to hear from Pat Quinn and his take on the parent/coach dynamic, sessions with Vancouver Canucks nutritionalist and dietitian Cristina Sutter and off-ice training techniques. Wickenheiser said this year they saw a dramatic increase in participants in the off-ice sessions especially in the younger age groups.
“Nobody is doing anything out there like this that I know of and to this level. People are getting access to players from the national team and program and other high quality people that they would never get at most tournaments. We basically allowed them to ask any questions they want, so it’s a pretty unique opportunity,” said Wickenheiser.
Now in it’s second year, Wickenheiser hopes the tournament expands to an even larger worldwide presence.
“We are really going to be pushing to get some international teams involved. I would really like to see five next year so that is a priority for us and another thing is to have representation all across Canada and the U.S. so it’ss truly an international tournament. That is really the goal for me to spread the word about the tournament and keep it international and help develop the game overseas,” said Wickenheiser.
For Wickenheiser the tournament is a chance to give back to the game and to two charities near and dear to her, Right to Play and KidSport BC, which receive all proceeds from the tournament. It also helps the Olympian, who currently plays for the University of Calgary Dinos, get back to the roots of the game.
“I just love meeting the kids and interacting with them. I really just enjoy the whole atmosphere. It brings me back to remembering why I play the game and what is important. Sometimes you get lost when you are at the higher levels and everything is so serious. Here you remember there is lots more around the game of hockey than just winning medals,” said Wickenheiser.
Growing the game doesn’t stop when the tournament is over. Wickenheiser recently announced an improved Club Wick (www.clubwick.com). This website provides exclusive content from the Olympian including training videos, articles, tips, live webcasts and exclusive one-on-once access to Wickenheiser.
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