The Flying Elbows Hockey tournament returned to the Shawville arena last week. Held between Thursday to Saturday, the tournament saw 16 teams across two divisions compete in the annual charity hockey showdown.

Hockey players from all over the Pontiac, the Ottawa Valley, Ottawa, and beyond came to the Shawville arena to play for bragging rights.

“We even had a few guys from Toronto playing on a couple of teams. Every year it grows a little bit more. It sort of slowed us down when COVID hit but we’re gonna try to make it bigger and bigger,” said Keith Kirkham, one of the organizers.

Part of the money raised in the tournament through registration fees and sponsorships goes back into the organization for next year, however a lot of the money goes towards supporting a local charity or the arena, according to Will Armitage, another organizer.

“It would be great to say that this tournament is just hockey oriented, but it’s more than that. It’s more community-oriented,” said Will.

As of now, the funds raised are planned to go towards improving the arena, but in the longer term, Will says he hopes that the Flying Elbows can start branching out into helping the community at large.

The tournament is seen as a great boon for Shawville and the surrounding area’s economy based on the number of players and spectators it brings, which the organizers are proud of.

Armitage also added the tournament is easy to organize given it’s legacy and popularity.

“The nice part about being around 23 years is the groundwork is there, so quite a few teams just come back from the year before and so on and so forth,” said Will. “It happens between the volunteers, community and the committee that I have around me. Things just fall into place perfectly. The proof is in the pudding I guess you could say with the way the tournament ended.”

Based on the success of this year, the Flying Elbows shows no sign of slowing down, according to Will.

“It was awesome. The caliber of the hockey and all the divisions is getting better,” concluded Will.

The Danford Lakers won the A division final after a comeback victory against Micksburg Bulls in a 1-0 final, winning the James Smith Memorial Trophy. The Benders in the B Division beat the Puck Pirates 4-0 for the Bryan Murray Memorial Trophy.

Allan Horner and his son Jordan at the Flying Elbows Hockey tournament. Allan managed to score two goals on his son during the match they played against each other.

A scene from from Flying Elbows B division the Benders vs. the Puck Pirates.

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