Portage la Prairie earns praise for hosting ‘best’ Centennial Cup ever

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This article was published 19/06/2023 (833 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Portage Terriers didn’t win the Centennial Cup, but the hockey-minded citizens of Portage la Prairie polished their reputation as excellent hosts.

It didn’t hurt that tournament organizers were blessed with a superb facility to stage the event. Stride Place, perched on the shore of Crescent Lake, played a starring role in the 10-day, 25-game national junior A hockey championship in May.

“All in all, I think it went really well,” said tournament chair Dale Deschouwer by phone Monday. “We’ve had nothing but positive feedback from the teams, fans, the commissioners. I don’t think there’s been one negative comment at all. There was one lady from Ottawa, she was standing there and she said, ‘If somebody would have told me I’d be watching hockey and looking over a lake and a park, I would’ve told them they’re crazy.’”

The picturesque surroundings were matched by a tournament that went off with barely a hiccup.

Organizers originally forecast a cost of approximately $500,00 to stage the championship and, when the final numbers are crunched, Deschouwer expects $275,000 in ticket sales and $250,000 in sponsorship money will result in a $40,000 surplus to be distributed to various community groups, including minor hockey.

Deschouwer, who also serves as governor of the MJHL’s Terriers, assembled a host committee of 14 people and an army of volunteers totalling about 180. Many of the volunteers returned after taking part in 2015 when the Terriers hosted and won the national title.

“The host committee especially was beat up by the time it was over,” said Deschouwer. “It was a long tournament, compared to 2015. That extra game a day means they’re there an extra five hours every day. But they persevered through it and if wasn’t for them, the tournament wouldn’t have been as successful as it was.”

The city of Oakville, Ont., has been chosen to host the tournament in 2024 while Okotoks, Alta., will be the site in 2025.

The tournament, now a 10-team event with nine leagues represented, has become more complex logistically. Cities that could have considered a bid to host the old five-team version of the event would have difficulty meeting Hockey Canada’s current criteria for a successful bid.

Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League commissioner Robert Mazzuca, who also serves as chairman of the board for the Canadian Junior Hockey League, indicated to Deschouwer that Portage la Prairie is very qualified to do it again — and soon.

“He said, ‘When are we coming back?’” said Deschouwer. “And I said, ‘What do you mean?’ He said, ‘When are you hosting again?’ I said, ‘Why?’ He said, ‘Well, I’ve been going to this since 2o12 — I’ve gone to every one of them — and this is the best one that I’ve ever been to.’”

Deschouwer admitted a bid for the 2026 national championship is unlikely. The 10-team tournament is a harder sell, making for some sparse morning and afternoon crowds at last month’s event.

The Steinbach Pistons, with the construction of a long-awaited new arena underway, could be contender for future hosting duties.

The $61-million Southeast Event Centre is slated to be ready for the 2024-25 season.

“One of the things that we’re looking at is hosting events with the new facility coming,” said Pistons GM and head coach Paul Dyck. “It’s something that we haven’t had the ability to do with the size of the surface and capacity of the building. So, we would definitely be interested in those types of opportunities down the road.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14