SkeeterHansen Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Wasn't sure if this was warranted in General Hockey Discussion, but OTF will work. Also couldn't find anything created prior, so here's to hoping I'm not creating a double thread! Has anyone participated in the HNIC 4 on 4 Street Hockey Tourney before? I'm joining some friends on a team for the Kelowna tourney (May 25 & 26) and just wondering what experiences people have had. Rough games? Worth the money? Funny stories? Anything will do. Thanks ladies and gents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denguin Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 It can get really competitive out there, which means a lot of bumping and slashing even with the "no-contact" rule. I'd recommend wearing shin pads to prevent a lot of the slashing injuries, as well as to make shot-blocking manageable (because it gets VERY important!). Reffing is usually really bad too... so penalties can be deadly (penalties are in the form of penalty shots only). Worth the money? It's a lot of fun (granted you don't get blown out in all your game)... can be pretty tiring too. You're guaranteed at least 3 games, so as long as you win 1, you'll most likely be slotted into a playoff spot (playoffs are EARLY in the morning). I only played it once, and don't plan on playing again anytime soon. Funny stories? A guy was flying past me and beating me wide (I was playing defence), so I stuck my stick out in an attempt to knock the puck off his stick in desperation, and I ended up tripping him really badly. He completely bailed, and my stick came flying out of my hands as a result, and got lodged in the fence about 4 feet up. No penalty on the play for some reason... I didn't even get puck (or ball) first. Turns out, that guy is a CDC member... which I discovered a few days later on one of the older threads about the tournament. So, I tripped another CDC member! Woo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobble Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 I played in the tournament here in Winnipeg. It was a good time, but our team got shelled because of more talented opponents. We were expecting a lower skill set for our division, but I think a lot of skilled groups signed up for lower divisions so they could dominate lol. Plus my team wasn't very skilled to begin with. It was still a great experience and I will be doing it again this summer! Recommend it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkeeterHansen Posted March 1, 2013 Author Share Posted March 1, 2013 It can get really competitive out there, which means a lot of bumping and slashing even with the "no-contact" rule. I'd recommend wearing shin pads to prevent a lot of the slashing injuries, as well as to make shot-blocking manageable (because it gets VERY important!). Reffing is usually really bad too... so penalties can be deadly (penalties are in the form of penalty shots only). Worth the money? It's a lot of fun (granted you don't get blown out in all your game)... can be pretty tiring too. You're guaranteed at least 3 games, so as long as you win 1, you'll most likely be slotted into a playoff spot (playoffs are EARLY in the morning). I only played it once, and don't plan on playing again anytime soon. Funny stories? A guy was flying past me and beating me wide (I was playing defence), so I stuck my stick out in an attempt to knock the puck off his stick in desperation, and I ended up tripping him really badly. He completely bailed, and my stick came flying out of my hands as a result, and got lodged in the fence about 4 feet up. No penalty on the play for some reason... I didn't even get puck (or ball) first. Turns out, that guy is a CDC member... which I discovered a few days later on one of the older threads about the tournament. So, I tripped another CDC member! Woo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkeeterHansen Posted March 1, 2013 Author Share Posted March 1, 2013 I played in the tournament here in Winnipeg. It was a good time, but our team got shelled because of more talented opponents. We were expecting a lower skill set for our division, but I think a lot of skilled groups signed up for lower divisions so they could dominate lol. Plus my team wasn't very skilled to begin with. It was still a great experience and I will be doing it again this summer! Recommend it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susraiders Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Can anyone post a link. I am interested but I don't know where everybody has gotten their info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkeeterHansen Posted March 1, 2013 Author Share Posted March 1, 2013 Can anyone post a link. I am interested but I don't know where everybody has gotten their info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoreanHockeyFan Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 It can get really competitive out there, which means a lot of bumping and slashing even with the "no-contact" rule. I'd recommend wearing shin pads to prevent a lot of the slashing injuries, as well as to make shot-blocking manageable (because it gets VERY important!). Reffing is usually really bad too... so penalties can be deadly (penalties are in the form of penalty shots only). Worth the money? It's a lot of fun (granted you don't get blown out in all your game)... can be pretty tiring too. You're guaranteed at least 3 games, so as long as you win 1, you'll most likely be slotted into a playoff spot (playoffs are EARLY in the morning). I only played it once, and don't plan on playing again anytime soon. Funny stories? A guy was flying past me and beating me wide (I was playing defence), so I stuck my stick out in an attempt to knock the puck off his stick in desperation, and I ended up tripping him really badly. He completely bailed, and my stick came flying out of my hands as a result, and got lodged in the fence about 4 feet up. No penalty on the play for some reason... I didn't even get puck (or ball) first. Turns out, that guy is a CDC member... which I discovered a few days later on one of the older threads about the tournament. So, I tripped another CDC member! Woo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
questforthecup Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 been playing in it for 3 years now...I think it is a little expensive for what you get especially since they've been stripping it down year after year. Teams tend to enter in lower divisions to win more. For example, last year I found out that one of the beginner division teams I was playing against had a player who was playing for the WHL Seattle Thunderbirds (the captain actually). We figured out a way to beat them in the 3rd round of the playoffs but like I said, be prepared for destruction if you don't have a team that has some experience. As for roughness, it really, really depends on who you play. I've had pleasant games where the other team will actually apologize for tripping you and genuinely say "good game" even when they lose though these teams are few and far between. Most of the time teams will do whatever it takes to win. I've seen whole team brawls occur on more than one occasion. Reffing is a serious issue as they are all volunteers. I once had a 13 year old kid ref a game (and his mom was there too!) so it was kinda hard for him to crack the whip on penalties and stuff. It kinda got out of hand with the other team swearing at him when he called them for penalties. I've also had another ref who called me for hooking the guys stick! Some refs I've noticed even watch the game in the next rink and forget what the score is. Make sure you know the rules. There are some odd ones like when you are allowed to cross centre after a goal is scored and what the many types of penalties are. Of course, each ref will call the rules as they see fit and my team's had to pull the rule book out on a ref or two to settle something. Last year my team had a debacle where we had a game rescheduled and they updated the online schedule but not on the main "master scoreboard" so the game went on as planned originally and we were given a forfeit for not showing even though the online schedule was up-to-date. So we lost that game and had to seed lower for the playoffs. Just make sure you pay attention only to the physical master scoreboard for your schedule cuz that really pissed me off that we didn't get to play one of our games when we already have to pay over $50 for 3 games min. Overall, there are few good things I have to say about it except that it is so much fun playing hockey I keep coming back. Sorry to be a downer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lockhart Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 I've played in the Burnaby tournament a few times. It's REALLY competitive at the top level, a lot of ex BCHL and WHL players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeanBeef Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 I've played in the tournament before, some guys get pretty heated when playing. I got slashed on the hip hard a few times by some 5'0 170 pound 30 y/o roid freak. When his team lost he yelled out "F*CK" in front of a few little kids watching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tru_Knyte Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Played last year. Got unlucky that the first two teams we played against ended up finishing 1 and 3rd overall in the div. Good advice above about the reffing as well. Only one of the refs we had called the center line rule after scoring, but didn't want to call elbowing or tripping penalties (one guy on my team caught a chicken wing in the face and had a bloody lip...no call). Looking forward to the one this year though, at Coq Center which is like 5 minutes from me. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tru_Knyte Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 been playing in it for 3 years now...I think it is a little expensive for what you get especially since they've been stripping it down year after year. Teams tend to enter in lower divisions to win more. For example, last year I found out that one of the beginner division teams I was playing against had a player who was playing for the WHL Seattle Thunderbirds (the captain actually). We figured out a way to beat them in the 3rd round of the playoffs but like I said, be prepared for destruction if you don't have a team that has some experience. As for roughness, it really, really depends on who you play. I've had pleasant games where the other team will actually apologize for tripping you and genuinely say "good game" even when they lose though these teams are few and far between. Most of the time teams will do whatever it takes to win. I've seen whole team brawls occur on more than one occasion. Reffing is a serious issue as they are all volunteers. I once had a 13 year old kid ref a game (and his mom was there too!) so it was kinda hard for him to crack the whip on penalties and stuff. It kinda got out of hand with the other team swearing at him when he called them for penalties. I've also had another ref who called me for hooking the guys stick! Some refs I've noticed even watch the game in the next rink and forget what the score is. Make sure you know the rules. There are some odd ones like when you are allowed to cross centre after a goal is scored and what the many types of penalties are. Of course, each ref will call the rules as they see fit and my team's had to pull the rule book out on a ref or two to settle something. Last year my team had a debacle where we had a game rescheduled and they updated the online schedule but not on the main "master scoreboard" so the game went on as planned originally and we were given a forfeit for not showing even though the online schedule was up-to-date. So we lost that game and had to seed lower for the playoffs. Just make sure you pay attention only to the physical master scoreboard for your schedule cuz that really pissed me off that we didn't get to play one of our games when we already have to pay over $50 for 3 games min. Overall, there are few good things I have to say about it except that it is so much fun playing hockey I keep coming back. Sorry to be a downer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthNinja Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 I played in it a few years ago when it was downtown Vancouver. A couple of posters already described it pretty accurately. Overall it was a fun experience just because you're playing hockey and it's a tournament but it can definitely be a bit of a gong show at times. Also, some teams behave like their families are being held hostage and will be executed if they lose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master Mind Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 I was in it. Worst event I've ever been a part of. Don't waste your time and money with this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dellins Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 I was in it. Worst event I've ever been a part of. Don't waste your time and money with this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkeeterHansen Posted March 24, 2013 Author Share Posted March 24, 2013 I was in it. Worst event I've ever been a part of. Don't waste your time and money with this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master Mind Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Why is that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canucks.brad Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 i played for 2 years...i have mixed feelings about it. its really expensive and as many have mentioned...very unfair the way the tiers work. half of the teams in the lowest tier should not be there. my friends team played in the lower tier one year and then moved up to the second tier...he said the second tier was easier... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dellins Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Why is that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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