What an incredible weekend.
For the fourth year in a row, the gang hit the road to play in the Jasper Pond Hockey Tournament at the beautiful Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. This was the biggest weekend to date, as 24 teams registered to play across three divisions.
We arrived on Friday evening, checked in, and immediately hit the ice. The first night of the tournament featured a heavyweight matchup right off the bat, with Team Oilersnation going up against Team Barn Burner. The Edmontonians got out to a quick start and at one point led by five goals, but the squad of players assembled from Calgary, Toronto, and beyond rallied to steal the win.
After a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast, the teams returned to the ice on Saturday for a full day of pond hockey. Team Oilersnation dropped their second game and landed in the “B” Final following a win in their third game. Barn Burner used the momentum from their huge win on Friday night to sweep their three round-robin games before falling in the “A” Final.
Between games on Saturday afternoon, we hosted a watch party for the Oilers’ game against the Buffalo Sabres. Jeff Marek hosted a roundtable during the intermission with Boomer and Pinder from Barn Burner, Jonny Lazarus from Daily Faceoff, and the Nation Real Life crew. We were all completely stumped by Marek’s hardcore hockey fan trivia but we got to enjoy watching the Oilers pull off another win.
Once the Championship games were played on Saturday evening, everyone had a chance to settle in and enjoy all of the amenities that Jasper Park Lodge has to offer. We spent some much-needed time in the outdoor hot tub before hitting up the Emerald Lounge for some cocktails. The espresso martini was a very popular choice among the group and the boozy eggnog got me forgetting how sore my feet were.
The best part of the whole weekend might have been the party on Saturday night in the Gardener’s Cabin. With four bedrooms, a kitchen, a basement, and a view of the mountains, this is the perfect spot for a big group of adult children to get together and drink a lot of beers and make a lot of noise. We played one of the most intense games of flip cup you’ll ever witness and then spent hours huddled around the pool table trying to hit the eight-ball before it stopped rolling. This game makes no sense until it completely consumes you.
When Sunday rolled around and it was time to check out, all I could think about was how excited I was to come back and do this all again next year. Late January might not seem like the perfect time for an escape to the mountains, but coming to Jasper for the pond hockey tournament is always a blast. It’s like being a kid again for the weekend and running around a hotel with your teammates after hours on the ice.
Doing the tournament this year also felt special because of the challenges that Jasper has faced over the past six months as a result of last summer’s wildfires. Driving into the park and then into town offered a stark reminder of how much was lost because of those fires, but it also showed the resilience of the people of Jasper. Much of the town remains, things are being repaired, and the spirit is as strong as it has ever been.
There are a lot of people who did amazing work to make this weekend happen. Thank you to the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge for being incredible hosts and shoutout to our sponsors, Yeti, Booster Juice, and bet365, for all of their support.
