Planning for the 49th annual Little NHL tournament is well underway at Nipissing First Nation. The event is set for March 13-17 in Mississauga.
Nipissing First Nation is the host committee of the upcoming tournament, produced alongside the Little Native Hockey League (LNHL).
Both acknowledge they are optimistic these March dates will hold, although future Covid regulations may alter the plan.
See: Nipissing First Nation coordinating Little N.H.L tournament
The tournament was cancelled in both 2020 and 2021, and “everyone involved in the planning efforts is eager to pick up where we left off,” Nipissing First Nation explained in a recent release.
Cancelling those tournaments was difficult, but “concern for the health and wellbeing of participants and their families,” remains top priority.
The upcoming tournament’s theme remains the same as the one imagined for the cancelled 2020 event—All Nations, One Family.
Nipissing First Nation Chief Scott McLeod said, “our theme seems more fitting than ever seeing how much we have all missed the hockey tradition that our children and communities look forward to every year.”
“Nipissing is more than ready to finally host an unforgettable experience for our bothers and sisters across Ontario,” he said.
Marian Jacko, the president of the Little Native Hockey League, emphasized that the upcoming tournament will showcase “the four pillars” of the league, “education, respect, citizenship, and sportsmanship.”
Jacko also notes that all aspects of registration, scheduling and accommodations will be through the web site EventConnect, and e-mails will be sent to coaches and representatives in the upcoming weeks regarding when to register.
“We are grateful to the City of Mississauga and Tourism Mississauga for their continued support and for sponsoring the tournament,” Jacko said, and thanks all the sponsors “for standing by us through these challenging times.”
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
