The Athabasca Regional Multiplex was host to the first ever Hot Karl Memorial Hockey Tournament this past weekend.
The tourney was put together as a tribute to Athabasca local Karl Hetze who passed away this year.
“We put on a draft tournament for our friend that most of us know, he played hockey here in Athabasca for a number of years,” said Tanner Chamberlain, one of the founders of the tournament. “He was diagnosed with eye cancer when we played midget hockey. It ended up coming back and he just passed away this earlier this year.”
All of the profits from the event went towards the Alberta Cancer Society and, at the end of the weekend, they managed to raise just under $5,000.
The newly founded tournament is slightly different then most. Instead of registering a team, each of the registered players in the tournament were drafted the Friday night before the start of play.
“Everybody pays their entry fee and everyone has a spot to play, it doesn’t matter how good you are,” said Chamberlain. “
The night before the tournament, we had the draft. Everyone came in and the six goalies for the six teams picked individual players. We went through the all of the players and the player that was picked last got themselves a putter.”
“The draft concept is awesome because it makes the teams more even and more competitive,” added Justin Tebbenhem, one of the tournament founders. “It’s also a great way to meet new people. I’ve seen friends that I haven’t seen in five years and they’d bring a buddy and just like that you make a new friend. It just makes everything a little more fun.”
The tourney was a two-day round robin event. The Top 4 teams moved on to play in the semifinals, while the Top 2 teams, Pine Point Locating and Devon Energy, faced off in the finals. After three periods Team Devon Energy came out on top with a 9-3 win.
The winning team walked away with a unique trophy skateboard presented by Karl’s parents Herb and Yvette Hetze.
“The first place team will win a skateboard deck because (Hetze) skateboarded, played hockey … he pretty much did everything,” said Chamberlain.
“We have a plaque on it and that’s going to be our trophy. The winning team will also get a pint glass with Karl memorial etched in it. It’s nothing too big for the winners. It’s not really about that; we’re here just for fun and to play some hockey.”
