The Jasper Pond Hockey Tournament Recap

I love the Jasper Pond Hockey tournament. Without question, this tourney is one of my favourite events of the year, and I could not wait to get back for a third straight year.

This time around, we had three Nation Network teams participating this time around — Oilersnation, Flamesnation, and Daily Faceoff — and that made for a fantastic weekend when you combined all of us with the other tourney participants.

After everyone checked in and settled at the beautiful Jasper Park Lodge, the tourney got started with the first round of games on Lake Mildred under the lights, and I truly mean it when I say that it was one of the most scenic events you could ever see. Put another way, it’s the most picturesque ODR that you’ll ever play on in your life and to also have snow falling on night one was simply spectacular. Frankly, it’s the most Canadian thing you could ever do.

If I’m being honest, I don’t know that we could have imagined a better start to the weekend. It really was remarkable to rip around in those conditions.

On day two, the tournament really got rolling as all 24 teams kicked off their schedules across the four sheets of ice, and it was awesome to see so many people having a blast in what ended up being perfect hockey weather.

Over and above what was happening on the ice, the Jasper Park Lodge had all kinds of areas set up where people could grab a coffee or just sit and enjoy the scenery. When we weren’t playing, I often found myself soaking up the scene and taking a minute to remember how blessed we are to have the mountains in our back yard.

On Saturday night, we threw a viewing party for the BOA in one of the ballrooms at the Jasper Park Lodge, and I was very much looking forward to it because it’s always a blast when we get to put on a dual event with the boys from Flamesnation. Not only did I want our side to win, but I also wanted it to happen in front of our counterparts from down the highway. And as expected, the gang put on a great show.

Tyler and Jay were repping the ON side while Boomer and Pinder were representing Flamesnation, and the boys did a great job of setting the tone for our watch party. There were chirps back and forth, there were win guarantees, and it was everything you’d expect leading up to the BOA. As for the game, well… we all know how that went, and seeing win #13 honestly felt like the perfect way to wrap up what was a brilliant day in the mountains.

In the end, team Oilersnation didn’t win a medal this year but that’s the last thing I’m thinking about after two magical days at the JPL. Not only was the tournament the best it’s ever been, but we also met so many amazing people over the course of the weekend that it made me feel very grateful about being able to play in this thing. It’s not every day that you get to play shinny in such a beautiful location, and I’m endlessly appreciative of the opportunity.

Finally, I want to thank our partners at Betway Canada, Booster Juice, and Tourism Jasper for making this tournament come to live and giving us all a weekend we’ll never forget. This year’s tourney was the biggest we’ve ever participated in, and I cannot wait to see where we’ll be at by the time next January rolls around.

If you’re on the fence about joining us or submitting a team, I’m begging you to take the plunge because it’s more fun than you’ll know what to do with. This tournament is a bucket list hockey item that everyone should experience at least once.