Edmonton’s longest-running minor hockey tournament celebrates 61-year legacy

Opening ceremonies were held for the 61st annual Quikcard Edmonton Minor Hockey Week on Jan. 8, 2025. (Darcy Seaton/CTV News Edmonton)

One of the longest-running minor hockey tournaments held its opening ceremony at Rogers Place on Wednesday, while unveiling some new features to the program.

The 61st annual Quikcard Edmonton Minor Hockey Week (QEMHW) tournament will kick off the event with the Edmonton Oil Kings taking on the Saskatoon Blades at 7 p.m. Wednesday night at Rogers Place.

This year’s hockey tournament will host nearly 10,000 players across 600 teams ranging from U9 to U18 over 10 days of minor hockey action.

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This year, all QEMHW teams, families and friends can attend the Oil Kings game for $20 per ticket by using a supplied special code.

Those using this link to purchase a ticket to Wednesday night’s game, will be entered to win prizes to commemorate the tournament’s debut, including a signed Oil Kings jersey, a four-pack of tickets to a future Oil Kings game, plus a behind-the-scenes tour of Rogers Place and more.

With more than 60 years of history, a video compilation will be presented using submitted videos of impressive in-game moments from QEMHW players. Players can submit their videos for a chance to be featured in the video compilation using this link.

Additionally, tournament organizers are asking attendees to help celebrate the event by submitting photos and stories to be part of the QEMHW legacy.

Speaking of legacy, one of the original volunteers of the event, Bill Ross, was in attendance Wednesday.

The 91-year-old retired from the event in 2019 after nearly 50 years where he began volunteering as a coach and eventually working in the Stats Central office, thus earning his nickname.

“We spent hours – days – doing draws because we didn’t have the quickness of the computer. We went through a lot of pencils and erasers,” he said.

“I would spend about the whole week, about 100 hours, in the room … It was fun – I don’t think my wife appreciated me, but it was fun.”

The hockey tournament begins on Friday and will run until Jan. 19.

More for information, click the link.