By JACK SKINNER
The East York Hockey Association’s (EYHA) annual Little Stanley Cup Day is set for Saturday, April 1, at East York Memorial Arena.
With a history dating back to the 1954-55 season, the EYHA’s Little Stanley Cup is presented to the PeeWee age group championship team in the Under-13 division.
The championship matches for the Little Stanley Cup will see the PeeWee divisions two finalist teams battle it out for the right to carry the trophy around the ice.
The EYHA is the only minor hockey league allowed to use a replica of the “Stanley Cup”.
The local hockey association, which first began play in January of 1945, was given permission by the National Hockey League’s (NHL) commissioner Clarence Campbell back in 1954-55 to present the Little Stanley Cup.
Six PeeWee teams participated in this year’s Little Stanley Cup tournament in the EYHA. The round robin started on Friday, Feb. 10, and continued through to March 10. Those results then determined who would play who for the playoffs that were held on Friday, March 24.
The final game to determine the winner of the two-game series for the Little Stanley Cup is set for Saturday, April 1. That game should begin at approximately noon.
It is a part of what is called Little Stanley Cup Day by the EYHA and is the last day of the hockey season for the league.
Little Stanley Cup Day will begin with O’Canada at 9 a.m. Then the EYHA Hockey School players will showcase their skills along with some other age-group games. At about noon, Connie Mitchell, the President of the EYHA, will give a few words of welcome to the crowd and Game 2 of the Little Stanley Cup final will start.
When the buzzer sounds and the game ends, the winning team gets to skate around with the three-foot-high Little Stanley Cup and celebrate the moment with their teammates just like NHL players do.
“This is the highlight of the day. The players, coaches, and parents, pride and joy are evident on their faces. The opportunity to skate with the Little Stanley Cup gives the players the opportunity to act like they are in the NHL and to mimic many of their hockey heroes”, said Mitchell.
The EYHA said hockey fans are welcome to come out experience Little Stanley Cup Day at East York Memorial Arena, 888 Cosburn Ave.
For more information on the EYHA, please go to https://eastyorkhockey.org/
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