Organizers hoping to stage Little NHL tournament following two-year pandemic pause
By Sam Laskaris
NIPISSING FIRST NATION – Fingers are crossed.
After the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the Little Native Hockey League (LNHL) tournament the past two years, officials with Nipissing First Nation are hoping they can indeed host the youth tournament, which traditionally features Indigenous squads from all across Ontario, in 2022.
It was announced this past week that preparations for the event, more commonly called the Little NHL, are well underway.
Though Nipissing First Nation will host the tourney, it is scheduled to be staged Mar. 13-17, 2022, in Mississauga.
“To be able to do the tournament would be the second thing to celebrate,” said Nipissing First Nation Chief Scott McLeod. “That would mean the pandemic is behind us.”
Though the 2022 tourney is about half a year away, Chief McLeod said staff members from his community, a local committee of volunteers as well as members of the Little NHL executive all need to be making plans now.
“There’s so much work behind the scenes to get things all together,” he said.
Nipissing First Nation had originally been scheduled to host the Little NHL in March of 2020. But that event was cancelled mere days before it was supposed to start because of the pandemic.
Nipissing was then awarded hosting rights for the 2021 tourney but that was also nixed because of the ongoing pandemic.
Chief McLeod said organizers have no way to predict what stage the pandemic will be at next March.
“It’s really hard to anticipate what is going to happen,” he said. “We have to plan for the best and be ready for the worst. We’re going to be optimistic but cautious and safe as well.”
During the last few years, the Little NHL was held more than 200 squads from Ontario were participating in the tournament each year.
Looking at current public health measures in mind and keeping an eye on rising vaccination rates within Ontario, tournament organizers have to start making more plans for the 2022 event.
“I’m really positive and I’m really hopeful things will be at a place where we’ll be able to host a tournament,” said Marian Jacko, the president of the Little NHL executive.
The Little NHL traditionally features age groupings starting with those at the Under-7 through Under-18 levels.
Jacko is hopeful provincial health regulations will allow all of the divisions to be held. Currently, only those youth who are 12 and older can receive vaccine doses.
“I’m hoping we are not in a place where we have to exclude certain age groups because of COVID restrictions,” Jacko said.
Jacko also said she would love to see the 2022 tournament resemble previous events as much as possible.
“I’m hoping the tournament will move forward with the least amount of restrictions,” she said.
Jacko added she believes it’s vital for the well-being and mental health of many youth to have the opportunity to continue playing hockey this season.
“Some of these kids are just hanging on,” she said. “The only reason they are engaged is because of hockey.”
The Little NHL was first held in 1971 on Manitoulin Island, in the town of Little Current.
Because the tournament was cancelled the past two years, the 2022 tourney will be labelled as the 49th edition. And then the plan is to have the Little NHL executive host the 50th annual version of the tournament in 2023 in Mississauga.