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Annual Vince Ryan Memorial Hockey Tournament gets underway in Cape Breton

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The puck drops Thursday night for the start of the Vince Ryan Memorial Hockey Tournament - one of the most well-known recreational hockey tournaments in Canada.

Earlier in the day, the "Friday Slashers," a team competing in the tournament’s A Division, hit the ice at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre in Membertou, N.S., for some last-minute practice.

Team member Ben McLavish has been living in Cape Breton for about six months now after moving there from Calgary.

This will be his first Vince Ryan tournament. He says it's bigger than any tournament he's taken part in back home.

"We've got nothing like that out west, especially for rec league hockey. So yeah, I'm looking forward to it," McLavish said.

Three years ago, "the Vincey," as it’s known by many, was one of the very first events in the Maritimes cancelled by the pandemic.

The tournament was just days away from beginning when everything shut down in March 2020.

In 2022, it came back but with teams only from Nova Scotia.

This year, there are 96 teams.

The Cape Breton Regional Municipality facilities manager, Paul MacDonald, who manages several of the rinks that will host Vince Ryan games, said it’s a boost to have the buildings full of bookings for games.

"It's bringing in a lot of folks from out of town, filling up hotel rooms and restaurants and all that wonderful stuff. It's great to have them back," MacDonald said.

But this time, there's another hurdle to overcome in the form of the weather forecast for overnight Thursday into Friday.

"Well, isn't that the funny piece? I don't know if it's funny. Ironic, probably," MacDonald said. “We're starting the tournament, and we're getting a large snowstorm in the area. It's always something, but it's been my experience that they always find a way of overcoming these challenges."

The weekend is also the first big one of the year for hotels.

The tournament typically contributes about $5 million a year into the local economy.

The Vince Ryan also raises thousands of dollars each year in local scholarships.

The tournament's games wrap up on Sunday.

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