Northwestern Ontario MP praises minor hockey tournament organizers

Some recognition to the organizers of hockey tournaments in Canada.

Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP Marcus Powlowski took time in the House of Commons to praise those who are behind them.

He says it was a recent visit to Fort Frances that led him to reflect on the importance of minor hockey tournaments.

Powlowski was at a local hotel where out-of-town teams, in for a tournament, were also staying.

He says a bunch of raucous 12-year-olds were playing floor hockey in the stairwells, while their parents were sitting on the first floor, pretending to drink ginger ale out of coffee cups.

“And as I listened to the halls filled with the laughter of kids and saw the parents having a good time with a bunch of people they previously hardly knew, all at the same time when it was 30 below outside and the wind was blowing, I realized, and this is with sincerity, what a wonderful thing minor league hockey tournaments are and how much they’re a part of our identity and the Canadian culture,” says Powlowski.

Powlowski concluded his statement by thanking tournament organizers and the referees; he admits to sometimes criticizing when watching his own sons play.