Hockey Calgary is an association formed to help amateur hockey players. It is a Non-Profit Organisation formed based on volunteering. The members of Hockey Calgary are volunteers and are self-motivated to support young hockey players. As well, they seek to support and promote the sport of Hockey in Calgary.
Hockey is a sport to play, just like cricket and football. It is a game that requires team spirit. There are two sets of teams. These teams compete against each other to win the competition. Teamspirit is the key to win this game. There needs to be cooperation and mutual understanding between all the members of the team.
Ice Hockey is a game that is played on a frozen pond. Ponds may be frozen with artificial methods, but the surface has to be icy. The playing objects used in this game are a hockey stick and a puck. Each player in an Ice Hockey game has a hockey stick with him. The hockey stick is like a normal stick, with the only exception being that its end would be curved in an L-shape. The player is required to bring the puck in contact with the opposition team’s net.
Hockey Calgary aims to mentor the players for the game. The association helps in the development of team spirit among the players. Hockey Calgary encourages cooperation between the players and motivates them to perform better.
Organization
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The organization of the Hockey Association in Canada is a four-tier structure. Hockey Calgary is a unit of Hockey Alberta, and Hockey Alberta is a unit of Hockey Canada. It is to be noted that Alberta is a province in Canada, and Calgary, a city in Alberta. Hockey Calgary works in the city of Calgary for young players. It controls all other minor Hockey associations in Calgary.
- Hockey Canada is the first tier. It is the topmost governing body for hockey in the nation. It administers Ice Hockey and Ice Sledge Hockey in Canada. This organization is responsible for carrying out most of the ice Hockey events. It is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. 13 Hockey associations are affiliated with it in Canada.
- Hockey Alberta is the second tier and works for the province of Alberta as a whole. It is the top governing body for all ice hockey in the province. It was established in 1906 and is a unit of Hockey Canada. The name of the association at the time of its formation was ‘Alberta Amateur Hockey Association.’ The organization has two units which are based upon their geographical locations. These units are of the two most populous cities of Calgary and Edmonton. Hockey Calgary functions under Hockey Alberta. Apart from these, Hockey Alberta has junior, senior, and female teams.
- Hockey Calgary is the third tier in this structure. It is based in Calgary and is the frontier organization in the governance of All Minor Hockey In Calgary. Hockey Calgary is the largest hockey minor association in Alberta. It was established in 1949 and had 20 hockey associations as its members. Its workforce comprises over 14300 players, 3700 coaches, and 1200 officials. Apart from this, the organization is supported by countless volunteers.
- Local and smaller hockey organizations form the fourth and last tier in the system. They are community associations that are members of Hockey Calgary. These organizations have control over the local level of events.
Contact Details
The head office of Hockey Calgary is located at Max Bell Arena, 1111 Barlow Trail SE, Calgary, Alberta T2E 6S2. The office is open from Monday to Friday from 8 A.M. to 4 P.M.
Hockey League
Hockey Calgary runs several Hockey leagues in Calgary for the development of Hockey skills. It runs programs for children between age 5-6 as Timbits Minor Hockey, for kids aged 7-8 as U9 Development League, and many such hockey leagues for the grown-ups. Conference Logos form the registered trademarks of the hockey league.
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1. Timbits Minor Hockey
Timbits minor hockey is a special league for children aged between 5-6. This is a developmental phase, and the children are taught the basics of the game. Tim Hortons sponsors this program of Hockey Calgaryons. Hockey Calgary organizes leagues, provides contestants with jerseys and runs Timbits Jamboree. It also purchases pieces of sports equipment like a hockey stick, pucks, and net. In addition, hockey Calgary provides a medal to each child and supports to learn to play hockey program for the children’s welfare. Skill development of the competitors is an important aspect of these leagues. There is an average of 100 teams that take part.
2. U9 Development League
Under-9 Development League is a specially planned league for children under 9 years of age. This league is a joint program of Hockey Calgary and its member organizations. The primary focus of this program is skill development. Like Timbits Minor Hockey, the Under-9 Development League seeks to instill the basics of hockey in kids aged 7 and 8.
Through the medium of the league, the association gears toward encouraging parent, player, coach, and official education. During the league, it is also the organization’s objective to boost the child’s interest in the field of hockey. In the league, every child is assessed and placed in a team.
3. Tournament
Hockey Calgary arranges tournaments for under-11 and older age categories. Unlike the U9 and U7 leagues, a winner is declared in these matches. There are 3 or more 3 hockey teams in the tournament, and the match schedule is like a network of mesh that is interlinking. In under-11 or older age categories, the tournament is not organized between the regular season or at the end of playoffs. If a team tries to host a tournament in this period, then a tournament match and a playoff match will coincide. It would lead to clashes, and the tournament match would have to be canceled. Thus, it is imperative not to hold any hockey league at this time.
In a tournament, generally, matches to be played in a day are capped at three. More than 3 matches in one day may not be the case. Hockey Calgary specifies the time of a match as no more than 75 minutes. There needs to be ample time for the teams, referees, and organizers to rest between two matches. For this purpose, it is mandated that there has to be a minimum of one and a half hours of resting period between the second and third matches on the day of the tournament.
A tournament game is very different from a league game as it has more games and more teams. Thus, tournament games have their own rules. These games need not follow the rules and regulations set up for Hockey league games.
Hockey Schools
1. MacLean Hockey
MacLean Hockey is the organization responsible for conducting Hockey Camps in Calgary. Previously, it was done by Hockey Canada and outsourced to MacLean in the year 2019. The camps set up by this organization aim to provide all the relevant information regarding Hockey to the players in Calgary. Enriching the fundamental knowledge of hockey students is the primary aim of the camps set up by MacLean. Both technical and athletic knowledge is given to players. The organization endeavors to simplify this knowledge and motivate students to play hockey. They are trained and experienced coaches and instructors to guide the students.
2. Okanagan Hockey Camps
Okanagan Hockey Camp is another organization intending to uplift player’s knowledge of hockey. It has curated programs for the development of all phases of players. Its camp is suitable for both beginners and pros. For beginners, it offers a development stream of training. For players with sufficient skills, Okanagan camps offer Advanced Development training. Finally, players with the pro level of knowledge are offered Specialty programs. Apart from these, it also offers curated sessions for power skating, shooters, and defense. Besides Calgary, the Okanagan Hockey Camps also offer its services at Calgary, Edmonton, and Kelowna.
Hockey Calgary Scholarships
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There are many societies in Calgary willing to offer scholarships to deserving hockey players. The few most prominent ones are listed below.
1. Friends of AJH Society
The society is based in Alberta and comprises many members who were previously Hockey players. The society aims at providing financial assistance to under-privileged hockey players. It endeavors to provide players with an environment where they need not leave playing hockey. They help the player complete his higher studies with financial assistance. There are two running scholarships for this society. ‘The Charles S Noble Scholarship’ is run jointly with the Alberta Heritage Scholarship Fund. ‘Friends of Alberta Junior Hockey Championships’ is the other scholarship program.
2. The Bob McGeachie Junior C championship
As the name would suggest, this scholarship is the memory of Bob McGeachie. This scholarship is for players in the Hockey Calgary Junior C League. This university helps the students in financially coping up with higher education. The scholarship eliminates the need for students to leave hockey. This scholarship supports the educational and athletic requirements of a person. The scholarship amount is $2000.
This was all you needed to know about Hockey Calgary. However, the athletic support the organization is providing is noteworthy. It has been the fulcrum of hockey leagues and tournaments concerning hockey in Calgary. For more details, visit their website.