By Vincent Ball, Brantford Expositor
More than 130 ball hockey teams from across North America will be in Brantford for the 11th annual Walter Gretzky Street Hockey Tournament.
“We’re putting everything together now – scheduling and divisions, that sort of thing – and will be doing the final site preparation on Thursday,” Chad Asselstine, general manager of Ball Hockey International, said Monday.
“We’re pretty much on track in terms of our numbers compared to last year, which means we’ll probably have somewhere in the neighbourhood of 135 teams.
“We look forward to this event every year. It’s great to see so many people playing a sport we all love for a great cause.”
Funds from the tournament, which has raised more than $100,000, are turned over to the Ontario Lung Association.
“We love having so many people come and enjoy the Brantford area while having fun playing street hockey,” said Sandy Lee, the Lung Association’s fund development co-ordinator.
“This tournament has been a huge contributor in raising awareness and funds to fight lung disease and we’re looking forward to another great event.”
Teams compete in a variety of youth, adult and corporate divisions enabling people of all ages and skill levels to participate. The games are played on 20 rinks at Bhi Brantford and Lions Park from June 2 to 4.
This year’s tournament could have some extra star power as Hollywood filmmaker Kevin Smith, a fan of Walter Gretzky and the Gretzky family, is expected to make an appearance on Sunday. Thirteen teams are made up of Smith’s fans, said Asselstine.
“He’s in Buffalo for a couple of shows on Saturday and so, the idea is that he might be coming up on the Sunday.”
An actor, comedian, public speaker, comic book writer and author, Smith wrote, directed and acted in the 1994 film Clerks. Subsequent film projects included Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Cop Out in 2010, Red State in 2011 and Tusk in 2014.
Smith expressed his admiraton for the Gretzkys when he was in Brantford for the ball hockey tournament in 2010.
“The Gretzkys have always been about the assist,” he said then. “They could be front and centre but are always happy to pass it to somebody else.
“They’re about helping and giving the assist and I want to help out in a big way.”
Smith’s participation in 2010 helped the event set a Guinness World Record for the largest street hockey tournament with 205 teams and 2,096 players. That mark was eclipsed in 2013 by the Play On! tournament, which is sponsored by the CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada.
VBall@postmedia.com
twitter.com/EXPVBall
