After two years out of commission, men and boys from all over the Pontiac and beyond put on their hockey gear to battle it out on the ice for this year’s 21st Flying Elbows Hockey Tournament.

It started off as an homage to a coach named James Smith who died in a tragic accident. The games later continued due to the community involved and it snowballed into one of the most anticipated hockey tournaments in the region bringing in many players and spectators to the Shawville Arena.

This year Will Armitage, one of the organizers, pointed out that . . .

it went from a four-day event to a three-day event as bringing people out on a Sunday had become hard. This year they had 18 teams with two different divisions, A and B. Armitage is playing with the Farmer’s Mob.

“We’ve tried to always put something back into the community,” said Armitage. Which has always been the goal, the fundraiser is to help out the community and help fund the next tournament, he said.

“I enjoy it because I bring guys like my own team from Montreal. I bring guys that I haven’t seen so this turns out to be not just a hockey tournament, it turns into a community thing that brings people back together,” said Armitage.

When asked why it was called the fly elbows, one of the volunteers said “watch the 11 o’clock game.”

Support from the stands

Cheering for Fully Loaded, Heidi Peck was with her kids watching the game, she said she’s excited for her kids to learn the game and love it as much as their father.

For her, coming out to the game was important, “just to get the community back, especially after it’s been shut down for two years,” said Peck.

“I just came out to watch him play because he’s done with minor hockey and it’s the only chance I get to see him play,” said Tara Peck, who was there watching her son play.

Excited to play in their first tournament ever this year, Hunter Lukacs-Hitz and Conner Gilpin both playing for Puck Pirates said they love being out and playing with friends, and enjoy the social aspect. When asked if they would come back next year, they enthusiastically said yes.

To start off the season the Mighty Drunks and Fully Loaded took to the rink first and brought out people to the stands, as the first half of the game went on the arena started to fill up with siblings, mothers, wives and grandparents coming to watch the different teams in the rink.

Zachary Ranger-Labre, felt that his team started off strong but felt like they could have done better. He came out today to reconnect and play with his friends again, “We’ve been moved off to college, so we haven’t seen each other in a while,” he said,

The winning team in the first round was feeling pumped, one player said “as we went on we got oil on the gears and we were out there snapping,” said Julien Marshall.

For his teammate he felt like it was a great way to play with friends but to also get on the ice to relax and change from pressures of being in college, said Rudy Boxer.

Randy Peck, from Danford Lake, came to watch his three sons and two nephews play, and said he was excited to see them on the ice and to be out at a sports event. For him this was special because back in the day he himself participated in some of these tournaments.

“A lot of moral support and with all the covid stuff finally coming to an end, it seems that now we’re getting to enjoy these games,” said Pete Chabot who was there cheering for his nephew’s team and watching the game with his great grand kids.

For Stacey Peck said coming out and seeing everyone was the best part about coming out to the game, “seeing all of the people from the community come out seeing people you haven’t seen for a long time getting together having drinks.”

Irma Peck, Stacey’s mother in law interjects and with a grin said “I’m the grandmother of all those children,” referring to her nephews on the ice. “For me I love hockey.”

In the A finals division, Micksburge Bulls won playing against Danford Lakers taking home the James A. Smith Trophy. In the B final division, Farmer’s Mob won playing against the Bender’s taking home the Bryan Murray Memorial Trophy.

Armitage thanked everyone that helped put this together, he highlighted that without the community’s help and enthusiasm he wouldn’t have been able to do it. He hopes to see everyone next year.

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