By Ian Holmes

Huge 500 player hockey tournament underway in Nanaimo

Feb 17, 2017 | 11:15 PM

NANAIMO — One of the biggest hockey tournaments in Western Canada has taken over Nanaimo’s four ice sheets.

The 36th annual Tubbers Hockey Tournament runs from Friday, Feb 17. to Sunday, Feb. 19., involving 500 players on 36 teams in seven divisions, according to organizer Tim Paugh.

He said teams from all over Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and Interior have converged on the harbour city for the annual tournament.

“Our oldest team has been coming for 32-years,” said Paugh. “When they started out they were in the rec division and now they’re in the 55-plus division.”

Paugh said the Tubber Hockey Tournament is just as much about fun off the ice as it is on it. He noted that beer gardens set up at all of the rinks, along with live entertainment during the evenings at the Nanaimo Ice Centre (NIC).

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He noted that it is a lot of work putting on a tournament of this scale, but said many volunteers, including players on the Tubbers, put in the time to make the weekend a great experience.

“We did it because we were told to do it…we’re telling our young guys ‘hey this is what we do when we’re a Tubber, we put on the Tubber Tournament.’”

Paugh said that the finals for all divisions will take place on Sunday at the NIC.

ian.holmes@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @reporterholmes