The Tootoo family is pleased with the direction the Terence Tootoo Memorial (TTM) senior men's hockey championship has been taking.
The tournament, arguably the most popular sporting event in Rankin Inlet, was renamed the Terence Tootoo Memorial Cup last year in memory of Terence Tootoo who died by suicide at the age of 22 in 2002.
It was formerly called the First Air Avataq Cup.
Terence's dad, Barney, said he really didn't know what to expect from the community during the tournament's first year bearing his son's name in 2017, but that everyone seemed to want to jump on board with the event and he saw that as a good thing.
The committee running the event did an excellent job, said Barney, who reserved special praise for committee member Troy Aksalnik.
“If it wasn't for (them) and the other guys working behind the scenes, it wouldn't have gone off as good as it did,” said Barney. “I didn't really know, myself, how much work goes into hosting an event like this.”
Barney remains a big time hockey fan who likes to sit back, watch the games and enjoy the tournament, he said.
“I think we're on the right road to having it seen as a celebration of life through hockey that it was meant to be. A lot of the guys, after the tournament was over, came to have a few pops at our place and they were all really happy with how things went. A lot them played with Terence and (his brother) Jordin, and they all said they were looking forward to coming back next year for sure, and that's always a good sign.”
Barney said he was sorry Baker Lake didn't send a team this year and he was also disappointed Iqaluit also missed the tournament. He said a city the size of Iqaluit should be able to gather enough players together who would want to come to Rankin and play in the TTM.
“Hopefully, they'll jump on board next year because it adds to the tournament when Iqaluit is here,” he said. “A lot of people were asking why Iqaluit didn't come again because they all miss that big rivalry between Iqaluit and Rankin.”
Barney said he really liked all the individual award trophies being named after people in Rankin who love the game of hockey, which was another idea the tournament's committee members came up with.
“It keeps surprising me what (Aksalnik) and those guys keep having up their sleeves for the TTM,” he said. “These guys put a lot of thought into how they want things to be for the tournament, so I'm pretty sure next year's will be even bigger and better.”
Barney's wife Rose Tootoo said she hoped her son Jordin, a native of Rankin Inlet and the first Inuk hockey player to play in the NHL, will be able to come to next year's tournament. Jordin is currently playing for the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League, while under contract with the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL.
As a mother, it's always hard to get through some parts of the tournament, she said.
“But, deep-down inside, it means so much to our family,” said Rose. “The people have accepted it as a fitting memorial to Terence.”