In 3 short years the tournament has grown from its grassroots to a Guinness World Record sized event. Last year's tournament saw a total of 205 teams along with 2096 participants. A dose of credit for the record goes to Kevin Smith and his unending support of the tournament. For two years he brought a national spotlight to this small town tournament. However, the one person without whom the tournament would have never achieved the level of popularity it has and who is also the tournament's namesake, is Walter Gretzky.
This is year is no exception as the name "Walter Gretzky" has manage to further expand the tournament into something more than an event exclusively for Ball Hockey enthusiasts. This years marks the introduction of 'Hockeyfest Village'. Displays from the Hockey Hall of Fame will be on hand for visitors to view as well as many other hockey related attractions.
For Autograph hounds the biggest draw will be 24 individuals making their way to 'Hockeyfest Village' for a unique and extremely fan-friendly experience. Over Saturday and Sunday people attending the tournament can purchase a special autograph book for $5.00 that will give them access to over two dozen N.H.L. and International Hockey stars. I will be making my way there as soon as this article gets posted.
Here is the schedule for the weekend;
Saturday - 11:00am - 12:30 pm:
Tom Fergus
Dan Daoust
Darcy Tucker
Zac Dalpe
Todd Harvey
Theo Fleury
Saturday - 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Gary Leeman
Stan Jonathan
Dale Hawerchuk
Zac Dalpe
Todd Harvey
Jay Wells
Theo Fleury
Sunday - 11:00am - 12:30 pm
Billy Derlago
Rene Robert
Danny Gare
Curtis Joseph
Gilbert Dionne
Tim Brent
Sunday - 2:00pm - 3:30 pm
Rick Vaive
Gilbert Dionne
Sami Jo Small
Billy Bridges
Tim Brent
So, if you happen to be in the Brantford area and are a fan of great fun, and want to gather a boatload of autos for $5.00 then bring yourself to the 4th annual 'Walter Gretzky Street Hockey Tournament'. You will NOT be disappointed.
Keep an eye out for yours truly, I'll maybe even buy you a beer.
Cheers,
Hi Tunguska from a fellow Brantfordian ?? Branfordite? whatever--hope you can post some pics of what you get--I was looking for more info on who was coming and only saw what was in The Brant News--will try to get there sometime-I blogged about this event earlier and other things hockey--you can check me out at
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