BY KEITH LACEY
When it comes to boosting local business, no other event can match the size and magnitude of the Little NHL Hockey Tournament, says the City of Greater SudburyÂ?s tourism boss.
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Â?In terms of direct economic impact, this is the biggest event we have brought to our city over the past several years,Â? said Rob Skelly, the cityÂ?s manager of tourism, programs and partnerships.
Â?Every hotel room in the area is booked, and weÂ?re talking from one end of the city to the other and most of the outlying towns like Espanola and Sturgeon Falls have rooms booked.Â?
After a one-year absence, the Little NHL is back in SudburyÂ?last year the tournament was awarded to Thunder BayÂ?and the cityÂ?s business community couldnÂ?t be happier, said Skelly.
More than 100 First Nations hockey clubs will participate in the 32nd Annual Little NHL. Teams are coming to Sudbury from one end of the province to the other.
Â?Some of the business partners involved in sponsoring the tournament have told me they really saw a difference last year when Sudbury didnÂ?t get the Little NHL,Â? said Skelly. Â?This is just a huge event which really benefits this community.Â?
A total of 115 teams from tykes through midgets will bring about 1,500 players along when the tournament kicks off this weekend, said Skelly.
Because so many of the teams are from smaller towns, coming to bigger cities like Sudbury is a Â?big dealÂ? and the players are most often accompanied by parents and many also have grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins attending the games, said Skelly.
Â?Our experience is most of the players bring family members,Â? he said. Â?ThatÂ?s why weÂ?re expecting between 6,000 and 8,000 visitors to our community for this yearÂ?s tournament.Â?
The direct economic impact is estimated at between $3 million and $5 million, he said.
This will be the fifth time in the past six years Sudbury has hosted the Little NHL and his department will do everything possible to ensure we put in a strong bid every year, said Skelly.
Â?Of course, you have to try and get this tournament as often as possible,Â? he said. Â?Our feeling is if you make the players, coaches and family members feel welcome they will want to come back.Â?
Games will begin Sunday at 10 different arenas with the official opening ceremonies set for Monday at 7 pm at the Sudbury Arena.
Other arenas being used this year include Carmichael, Cambrian, Coniston, Garson, McClelland, T.M. Davies and Countryside.
Michael Abitong, Little NHL co-ordinator from Manitoulin Island, said this tournament is the highlight of the hockey season for most of the 1,500 competitors.
Â?ItÂ?s an event the kids really look forward to,Â? he said. Â?The vast majority of players come from the smaller communities and getting the chance to come to a big city like Sudbury and compete in such a huge event is a big thrill for them.Â?
Thunder Bay did an outstanding job hosting last yearÂ?s tournament, but the Sudbury bid was the easy choice for 2003, said Abitong.
Â?Sudbury has experience hosting the Little NHL so many times over the past few years,Â? he said. Â?ItÂ?s also a lot more centrally located in the province, making it easier for a lot of the southern Ontario teams to enter.Â?
The guest speaker at the opening ceremonies will be Matthew Coon Come, chief of the Assembly of First Nations.
John Chabot, a former NHL player with Montreal and Pittsburgh, will be the tournamentÂ?s special guest, said Abitong.
Tickets for the tournament are available at all area arenas. Tickets cost $7 per day for adults and $5 per day for students and seniors. Children under age 12 get in to all games free of charge.
