MISSISSAUGA—The little tournament that could has long outgrown its Manitoulin and even Northern Ontario roots, but the Little Native Hockey League, affectionately known as the Little NHL to most of us here on the Island, continues to hold a central place in Mnidoo Mnising Anishinaabe sports culture.
This year’s opening ceremonies are scheduled for Sunday, March 10 at the Paramount Arena in Mississauga, with the tournament itself taking place during March break, from March 11 through to March 14 and hosted by the Aamjiwnaang First Nation near Sarnia.
The number of teams registering this year has risen yet again, from 207 last year to 229 this year, drawing some 500 teams from First Nations across Ontario. The tournament that began in Little Current quickly outgrew the Island, moving to Sudbury and then Sault Ste. Marie alternatively for a while before moving south to Mississauga where it will cover up to 17 ice pads. The success of the LNHL tournament has induced the organizing committee to consider expanding from a four-day format to five days.
A new rule, instituted this year and effective January 21, reserves the right of the executive to re-designate a team from the recreational division to the competitive division and vice versa.
“The rationale for this rule is to ensure that teams are playing at the level that they should be based on team composition and levels of players,” explains the committee in a website post. “This rule is intended to ensure that all teams have a good experience competing with teams of the same or similar calibre. This rule is also in keeping with the Little NHL four pillars of citizenship, education, respect and sportsmanship. All rosters are reviewed and if a decision to re-categorize is made, the manager of said team will be contacted.”
The teams impacted have all been notified at this point, and divisions are now final. The schedule was released on February 23.
“We want you to know that we are trying very hard to maintain the uniqueness of the LNHL tournament in keeping with the original intent of the founding fathers of the LNHL, with the growth in numbers it has become extremely difficult to fit over 500 games in four days,” reads a message from the executive. “As we have said, in the history of the LNHL, we have never turned a team down and we are not about to start now. We want this tournament to continue to grow and we want to continue to provide this awesome opportunity to our children, youth, families and communities to come together in the spirit of the four pillars of the LNHL. With that said, the LNHL executive will be discussing the strategic direction of the LNHL tournament and whether we need to expand the LNHL from being held over the course of four days to being held over the course of five days. The reason for this is to ensure that we can accommodate the growth in the LNHL tournament which this year is currently sitting at 229 teams, up from 207 last year. We would love to see the day that the LNHL tournament surpasses the 300-team mark and in order to do that, we need to strategically plan for the future of the LNHL tournament and how we will maintain its uniqueness and offer the participants the opportunity to leave the tournament as champions.”
“In this process, we are counting on your patience, understanding and cooperation as we do our very best to provide an excellent tournament for all participants of the tournament,” concludes a message from LNHL president Marian Jacko, “especially our children and youth who are the beneficiaries, the ones who own the tournament—the children and youth are the reason why we all work so hard to organize the LNHL because they are our champions for the future.”
“It’s not if you win or lose, but how much you tried and how fairly you played,” said former Whitefish River Ogimaa Jim McGregor, one of the founding fathers of the LNHL. It is a motto that infuses and encapsulates the spirit of these games.
The Aamjiwnaang LNHL Planning Committee consisted of chair Brian Bois and committee members June Simon, Rosa John, Sara Plain, Verlynn Plain and Jessica Pickett.
