Regina Outdoor Hockey League puts newcomers in the game

In the last minute of play, it’s tradition in Regina’s Outdoor Hockey League for the benches to clear. Everybody gets in the game.

On Sunday, the league played its year-end indoor tournament in Pilot Butte, completing a 26th season of making the nation’s pastime accessible to kids aged six to 16 who might not be able to afford it.

There were 330 players who played this weekend.

Amanda McConnell is manager of Ehrlo Sport Venture, the non-profit organization that runs the league. She said the league started as a school project in North Central Regina, where students would collect donated sporting goods for the Indigenous gift-giving custom of potlatch.

“The response they got was so overwhelming with equipment that they thought, ‘Why stop here?’” McConnell explained.

“Playing on a sports team is something we take for granted. We want to give them that experience. We want them to feel how it feels to put on the equipment and step out on the ice … have that opportunity to make new friends, learn new skills … being part of a team, depending on each other, being accountable, all those things you learn through sports.”

It has also evolved to become a way to reach out to newcomers, bringing people of diverse backgrounds to one place when they might not cross paths otherwise.

Diaco Barzi and his father, Babak, were among them. They came to Canada from Iran nine months ago.

Diaco was at ease on skates, saying he enjoyed sliding around the ice.

Meanwhile, Babak described Regina as a “paradise.”

“At first, we were worried about settling in Canada, but Regina is a very good city. The Regina people are very nice and kind and we are very happy,” Babak said. “My son enjoys hockey and maybe he continues in the future.”

McConnell said one of the most rewarding parts of running the league is seeing how far the kids progress on the ice.

“Some kids, it’s their first time on ice, they’re getting used to the weight of the equipment, falling all over. Today, it’s good hockey out there. The kids have learned so much. They’re skating, they’ve got friends. I’ve seen kids exchanging phone numbers and they want to hang out after the season,” she said.

“They’ve had so much fun learning new skills that they don’t want the season to end.”