There's a sight you don't see every day, or at least in the past 50 years: the Toronto Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup.
Maybe not the real thing but at least it kind of looks like it.
James McCarthy/NNSL photo
The Yellowknife Floor Hockey Association hosted its inaugural youth tournament at the DND Gymnasium on Aug. 31 and the Leafs destroyed the Edmonton Oilers in the final 11-0.
Rylan Mason of the Leafs said he knew his team had a good shot to win but expected a much tougher match.
"I was expecting it to go into overtime because they (the Oilers) did really good in their first game," he said. "I started feeling good about the game when it was 6-0."
It's never easy to lose in a blowout and Desmond Hutchings, who played on the defeated Oilers squad, said it was tough.
"It's not fun to lose 11-0," he said.
The tournament was put together to close out the association's first season. It came together thanks to funding from the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs' Regional Youth Sporting Events (RYSE) Program.
Andrew Silke, the association's president and tournament organizer, said a total of 16 youth between the ages of eight through 12 got the chance to hit the floor and play.
Everyone registered separately and was put onto one of four teams that were divided up as fairly as possible.
"We felt out the skill level with the parents when we were forming the teams," he said. "We tried to even it out by age as well and I think we had some younger teams but everyone seemed like they were having fun."
The four teams -- Leafs, Oilers, San Jose Sharks and Pittsburgh Penguins -- all played in a single-elimination bracket. The Leafs and Oilers won their semifinal games,which meant the Penguins and Sharks played off for third place. That game was won by the Penguins in a much closer encounter, 3-1.
Each team had four players each, no slapshots were allowed and goals were disallowed if players were in the crease at the time. The nets were pond hockey-style, which got rid of the need for a goaltender.
Mason wasn't too thrilled about that.
"I was going to be the goaltender," he said.
And yes, there was a shorter replica version of the Stanley Cup for the champions, which went with the theme of the tournament, said Silke.
"We wanted to do something similar to the NHL playoffs," he said. "It's easier to get the kids involved and become more attached to their teams quickly. They don't have to be completely invested in their team and for one day they can say they're part of Toronto or Edmonton or San Jose or Pittsburgh."
There's also an adult component to the association but there wasn't a tournament this year, something Silke hopes happen in the near future.
For now, he's just trying to grow the association and make it a part of the sporting scene in the city.
"We only have four board members and not a tremendous amount of volunteers," he said. "It's mostly friends that run it right now but it's been easier to organize because we're a tight-knit group and we all know each other well. We just have the common goal of having fun, not being too competitive and enjoying it."