The season may be coming to a close, but there’s still some great hockey to come, with playoffs, regionals, and the 26th annual HWI U9-U11-U13 provincial tournament all coming up shortly.

Speaking of the tournament…

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS

The Organizing Committee for the HWI tournament is looking for volunteers for its 2023 tournament which takes place on March 30th and 31st, April 1st and 2nd, and April 8th and 9th. You don’t need to know anything about hockey; you won’t be coaching or refereeing! But, your help WILL make a huge difference.

We are particularly looking for volunteer parents (who are not already coaches or managers) from U9, U11 & U13. This is YOUR tournament, we need YOUR help!

HWI players U15 and up: this is a great way to gain community involvement hours but please note that some roles have age requirements.

If you can commit to a few hours, please sign up here: ttsu.me/bwhpcv
For any questions email hwi-vpadmin@hockeywestisland.org

2023 VOLUNTEER PARTY

After a pandemic pause, the HWI Volunteer Party is returning this year to honour our hard-working volunteer head coaches, assistant coaches, managers, convenors, and board members who dedicate so many hours to helping our kids.
Each team will receive 4 tickets, and extras are available at $15 each.
Date: Friday, April 28 2023. Doors open at 6pm.
Location: Centre communautaire Sarto-Desnoyers. 1335, chemin du Bord-du-Lac, Dorval.
Casino, live music, delicious food, gift bags, and more!

Tickets will be given to each team by the end of March.

HWI ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM)

The AGM will be coming up in early May. The date and time will be announced shortly, and we invite all HWI members to attend. A notice of open positions on the Board and Executive will also be announced soon.

USED EQUIPMENT

Those wishing to sell, buy, or give away used hockey equipment can use the new HWI Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2990384787935703
Simply upload (clear) photos, add a description, location, and price.

Hello HWI members,

HWI Community Day (formerly Rivalry Day) is coming up on December 10th. Games are scheduled to take place between 11am and 7pm. During the day we will be hosting a Food Drive, and this year we are issuing a challenge to all teams: The team that collects the most amount of non-perishable food for the food drive will win EIGHT large pizzas courtesy of Dominos. HWI Merchandise will also be for sale, and some community groups will be present.

We will need the help of a few adult volunteers, and some older tween/teen players during the day. Please let us know if you can help or have HWI players who would like volunteer hours for school. Email vp-admin@hockeywestisland.org

COMMUNITY DAY

Laval Rocket tickets are available for purchase for two different games. Each ticket purchased gives back $3 to HWI.
Find details and purchase link here:

LAVAL ROCKET TICKETS

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HWI Yoga! Session 2 will start on November 22. We need a minimum of 12 players per group to run the sessions.
Details and sign up here:

YOGA SIGN-UP

As part of our new HWI Performance Development Series, a special clinic with Olympic Short Track speedskater Mackenzie Blackburn will be held on Saturday November 26. This clinic is for Single Letter players in divisions U11 to U18. Please see below for full details.
Registration for this clinic will open on the same page (use the buttons) on Monday November 7 at 10am. Space is limited to 20 players in each session.

MACKENZIE BLACKBURN CLINIC INFO

Visit our Shop Page for all your HWI gear including hats, hoodies, t-shirts, custom sticks, blankets, and more!

HWI Newsletter / Bulletin HWI

Now that hockey has begun we wanted to reach out with our first newsletter to let you know what’s happening and what is coming up.
A big thank you to our registrar, convenors, board members, coaches, managers, as well as HWI members who have spent countless hours getting our players and teams set up, and who will continue their work throughout the season.

NEWS AND REMINDERS

• Tournament – The 26th U9/U11/U13 “NAP” Tournament will be taking place on March 30 – April 9, 2023. For the tournament to run smoothly we absolutely need the cooperation and support of our members. If you are interested in volunteering, please submit your interest to our tournament director at: naptournoi@gmail.com
  Roles we particularly need help with: Marketing, Sponsorships, and daytime help at the arena(s) during the tournament dates.
• Player Development Clinics – Our Total Hockey Clinics are proving to be more popular than ever and are completely full, as is the waitlist!
  Our TH 1 and TH 2 Clinics are starting this coming week and those on the waitlist will hear shortly about an additional group. Thank you for your patience.
• Goalie Development Clinics – There is still space in both of our goalie clinics which run from October 17 – March 20. Goalies MUST register using the Google Forms at the bottom of this page: hockeywestisland.org/registration/development-clinics/
• HWI Yoga for Hockey Players – A new pilot program this fall is yoga classes specifically designed for hockey players. A session will consist of five group lessons and will take place Tuesday evenings at Olive-Urquhart Sports Centre in Pointe-Claire. We are in the process of finalizing the details and pricing but the sessions will be available ONLY for those in U11(Atom) and higher. Please watch this page for registration and full details coming soon: hockeywestisland.org/registration/yoga-sessions/
• Codes of Ethics – HWI wants to remind all players, parents/guardians and their friends and families about respecting fair play and codes of conduct within the game of hockey. To view the code of ethics visit https://tinyurl.com/5euajp5b
• 24 Rule – In the event you wish to discuss an issue with a coach, manager, or board member, please wait 24 hours before addressing your concern. The purpose of this rule is to ensure a conversation that is as objective as possible. Any form of intimidation and disrespect will not be tolerated by Hockey West Island.
• Volunteering – As we all know, HWI is a volunteer-driven organization and cannot sustain itself without our volunteers. Over the past number of years volunteerism within the organization has been declining and this year we will be focusing on recruitment, training, and retention of volunteers. If you are a parent within the organization it is a huge help if you volunteer at some level.
• Tournament Sponsorship Opportunities – While HWI is very lucky to have the dedication of parents and volunteers, we are looking for the support of business sponsors to help maintain the quality of our programs and ensure the game is accessible to the growing number of kids who want to play hockey. If you are a business owner, work at a company, or know of someone who may be interested in increasing their business and exposure to their customers while supporting the HWI Tournament, please contact a member of the Executive. We may also have other sponsorship opportunities available. We encourage all members to support our generous sponsors.
• Parking at BB – The Bob Birnie Arena parking lot is very busy on weekends. Please allow yourself extra time to find a parking spot, and only drop off your children in the designated lane (marked in blue below). Stopping anywhere else risks you receiving a ticket and infuriating every single driver stuck behind you.
• Head Coaches and Managers – You will soon be receiving information about the usage of the Ovide Chalet, team “ice contracts”, and availability of the Olive-Urquhart Sports Centre gymnasium.
  If you are a coach or manager, please take a look at the following pages for access to resources including rules, often-used forms and more:
  Coaches: www.hockeywestisland.org/coaches/
  Managers: www.hockeywestisland.org/coaches-corner/managers/
• HWI Merchandise – You asked, and we answered! TWO new online stores are available for you to purchase HWI Ts, hoodies, hats, caps, tracksuits, jackets, and more. Please visit our new SHOP page for links to both stores: www.hockeywestisland.org/shop-2/
  Note that all transactions are between the buyer and the store directly.
• HWI Custom Hockey Sticks – Want to show off your HWI pride AND have an awesome hockey stick designed to your specifications? HWI has teamed up with Custom Hockey Sticks who’ve created a sensational design — just for us! See details on their current special in the image below and order yours here: customhockeysticks.ca/hockey-west-island/
  

UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER

• Pumpkin Sale – The U13 BB Royals will be doing a pumpkin sale on the weekend of October 21 at Bob Birnie. Please watch our Facebook page for the exact date and times and come and pick out the perfect jack o’ lantern while supporting the team!
• Food Drive – The Pointe-Claire Oldtimers will be holding their annual Food Drive on October 29 from 9 am – 2 pm in the parking lot of Bob Birnie. There is an urgent need for non-perishable foods so please give generously! Donations will benefit The West Island Mission and L’Oeuvre Soupe Maison in Lachine.
• HWI Community Day (previously called Rivalry Day) – On December 11, 2022, our Single Letter sister teams will be playing head-to-head AND collecting much-needed non-perishable items for local food banks. A special prize awaits the team who collects the most!

For NEWS, FAQs, SCHEDULES, and more please visit our website at www.hockeywestisland.org

Follow us on Social Media to stay up-to-date on events, and see pics and videos of our players in action:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HockeyWestIsland
Instagram: @hockeywestisland

HWI Contacts: www.hockeywestisland.org/contact/

We look forward to seeing you around the rinks this fall!