Gilles Gilbert #tbt

Look at those beautiful, blonde locks….and complete lack of protective equipment for his upper body.  That would be NHL great and CHE staff member Gilles Gilbert, star of today’s edition of the CHE blog.

If you’ve ever brought a team to one of our adult or youth tournaments, especially Montreal or Lake Placid, chances are you’ve met Monsieur Gilbert.  In fact, he’s probably yelled at you to hurry up and get your team ready so your game starts on time, because if there’s one thing Gilles is known for, it’s his extreme respect for punctuality….and his perfect penmanship, I’ mean look at that signature!

Born in Saint-Esprit, QC just outside of Quebec City in 1949, Gilles was a fantastic athlete from an early age, excelling in hockey as a goaltender in the winter and baseball as a pitcher in the summer.  By the time he was 17 years old he had both the MLB and NHL knocking on his door and had to make a choice, ultimately choosing to pursue a career in hockey.  He was drafted 25th overall by the Minnesota North Stars in 1969, but didn’t really find his groove until he was traded to the star studded Boston Bruins in 1973 where he helped take the team to the Stanley Cup finals and being invited to the All Star game that same season.  He played 6 more seasons with Boston before trying his luck with the Detroit Red Wings for his final 3 seasons.

Known for his athleticism and cat like reflex’s, Gilles still holds a couple of NHL records: points percentage earned by a starting goalie (0.843) and most consecutive wins by a starting goalie (15) both attained during the 1975-76 season where he had a record of 33-8-10.  It’s always a fun time when a current goalie gets to 13 or 14 wins these days as we get to watch Gilles yell at the TV, cheering adamantly against said goalie.  We get to see a similar demeanour every time Don Cherry replays their overtime game 7 loss (Gilles was in net) against the Montreal Canadiens in 1979.

Since his retirement, Gilles has worked with CHE as an instructor for our Adult and Youth hockey camps, and as a rink manager/celebrity during our adult tournaments.  That’s right, this NHL great will be the kindly gentleman handing out game sheets and room locks this weekend in Montreal, but ask him for an autograph and he’ll be happy to give you his time.  Always a professional, no matter what his profession is.

Graydon Crowley

Canadian Hockey Enterprises

JASPER POND HOCKEY CHALLENGE!

URGENT…LIMITED SPOTS LEFT… CALL OUR OFFICE AND REGISTER YOUR TEAM! I am currently in Jasper, Alberta and looking out at Lake Mildred Pond from the out-door pool at the Jasper Park Lodge, in the Rocky Mountains. Current temp is -20 and powder snow covers the mountains. This could be you in February when you participate in our 1^st Annual Pond Hockey Challenge here in Jasper that runs from February 7-9, 2014. Grooming has begun on Lake Mildred to prepare the 4-large rinks. This tournament is 4 on 4 and each team is guaranteed 4 games on this breath taking Lake Mildred Pond. Fire Pits, ice benches, the smell of hot dogs and peanuts over the fire, doesn’t this sound inviting? The Jasper Park Lodge will host the site of this tournament and will be catering to every player’s needs and desire. All you need is 6 players, skates, helmet, shin-pads, stick and gloves and you are set to dangle around on the 4 beautiful ice surfaces that this tournament will be using. Is there a better way to say you are Canadian then playing in an outdoor pond hockey tournament in the Rocky Mountains? On Saturday Night CHE will be throwing a Meet and Greet Party starting just after 7 PM, where appetizers, beverages and lots of laughs and stories from the day’s events will be held inside the Jasper Park lodge.

The Jasper Park Lodge offers not only breath taking views inside and out but it has its own beautiful salt water heated pool, with amazing spa, plus restaurants and shops all throughout the building. You really need to come and check out this place, it is time you treat you and your family to some relaxation…

The Jasper Park lodge is only minutes from downtown Jasper, where incredible shopping and night life at “O’Shea’s Pub” and “The Jasper Brewing Company or if you are up for dancing the night away, head to The Atha-B Nightclub! For all the boarders and Skiers, venture out to Marmot Basin Ski Area, where the mountain and snow will simply amaze you. Bring the family and make it a vacation, there is something to do for all ages in this town.

Don’t miss out, we are offering an early bird discount if registered before December 15^th, 2013, call our office at 1-800-461-2161. What is holding you back from this amazing Canadian vacation? See you on the pond, bring you’re A game!

Chad Cavanagh

Canadian Hockey Enterprises

MONT-TREMBLANT POND HOCKEY CHALLENGE

DON’T DELAY..CALL OUR OFFICE AND SIGN-UP NOW! Bonjour and hello from Mont-Tremblant! 12 of a possible 32 Teams from Montreal, Ottawa area and all around Quebec  and Ontario are heading into the Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, February 21-23, 2014 for CHE’s 1st annual Pond Hockey Classic which highlights a 4 game guarantee starting Friday afternoon and ending Sunday noon…This is going to be “real hockey” just like when we were kids – only better. Picture this scene…6 rinks on Lake Ouimet, steps from the HOST HOTEL The Grand Lodge..Bring your skates, stick, shin pads and elbow pads (don’t forget your helmet) and walk from your hotel suite to the frozen lake, where you will see a zamboni preparing one of the glistening surfaces ..while walking that LONG 100 foot trek,  you can warm up by the outdoor fire on shore and after your game walk with your skates on hover to the “barn bar” for a cold one! In the background you can quickly look up to the back drop of beautiful Mont-Tremblant, a short 5 minute drive from our Pond Hockey Tournament…On Friday night around 7pm CHE has invited all the teams and guests to a rousing Meet and Greet party, with more beer, munchie platters and some great entertainment…

CHE encourages you to bring your family or put 3 guys in one room as EACH ROOM is complete with 2 separate rooms (king and queen beds), a sitting area with a pull-out couch, 2 full bathrooms and a kitchenette for cooking options and entertaining…talk about spacious!  Minutes away from the Grand Lodge you can choose many other winter activities including cross-country skiing, snow-shoeing, horse and sleigh rides and of course head to the mountain and do some skiing or shredding at Mont-Tremblant…

In the evening we have spectacular nightlife at the town of St. Jovite, 5 minutes away, where you can enjoy the “Jutras Sports Bar”  or a more relaxed evening at “St. George” or Rock all night at “Jack and Johnnies”..of course if you want to go to the Village of Tremblant CHE is providing a complimentary bus shuttle on Saturday night where you can join the ski bums right at the base of the mountain and party all night at the Petite Caribou or Diable..what a party..

For sure after this spectacular Mont-Tremblant Pond Hockey Classic is over on Sunday you will drive home exhilarated from the hockey and pumped about all that Tremblant has to offer. Don’t delay and call our office today to sign up your team of 6 (4 vs 4 format-with 2 players on the bench). CHE is determined to have 32 teams so we are offering an EARLY BIRD draw if you give your deposit by December 15th, 2013..Call to enquire and see you on the POND!

Paul Crowley
President of CHE and
Pond Hockey Director

4th Annual Tournament of Champions

For many years here at Canadian Hockey Enterprises we’ve run a small tournament, maybe 12 teams, that ran in November each year in Las Vegas.  We’d always had a fall event in Montreal, but decided in the early 2000’s to offer something in Las Vegas to give our western teams an option for tournaments in the fall, at least an option with cheaper flights.  Then 5 year’s ago, with tournament enrolment hitting a record low with just 4 teams teams, we decided the November Las Vegas tournament needed a makeover, and the Tournament of Champions (TOC) was born.

The premise is simple; create an event where each division is made of of teams who either won or placed 2nd within that same division at a different tournament the previous spring.  As if people need an extra incentive to head to Vegas, we decided to give a discount to all teams that make it into the finals during our spring tournaments.  Teams that win their division receive a $500 discount and teams that finish 2nd in their division receive a $250 discount.  So in the spring of 2010 we began handing out our TOC letters to championship teams at all of our spring tournaments, and the “Let’s go to Vegas” banter began almost immediately.

It was pretty obvious right away that our teams loved the idea.  Come November 2010 and the tournament that had just 4 teams the previous year had 24 teams ready to compete for the championship trophy.  The it grew to 28 teams.  Then 32 teams.  And as of tomorrow morning, our 4th Annual Tournament of Champions will have 39 men’s & women’s teams competing for their shot to hoist the Champions Cup.

This year we have teams coming from all over North America and you can keep up with scores and results through our website.  Here’s a list of the teams attending.

• Santa Barbara Rasputins – Santa Barbara, CA
• Beaumont Fogduckers – Beaumont, AB
• Dofasco Penguins – Hamilton, ON
• Varsity Wings – Calgary, AB
• OC Labatt – Santa Ana, CA
• Moberly Lakers – Kamloops, BC
• Las Vegas Hot Shots – Las Vegas, NV
• Strange Brew – Caledonia, ON
• Jadaco – Toronto, ON
• Himark – Edson, AB
• Pilot Butte Old Timers – Pilot Butte, SK
• Iron Sheiks – Richmond, BC
• Ipsco Junior Ingots – Regina, SK
• Red Wings – High Prairie, AB
• Drumheller Ratz – Drumheller, AB
• Vipers – Holly Springs, NC
• Chiefs – Victoria, BC
• Warriors – Salmon Arm, BC
• Millet Mulishia – Leduc, AB
• Bulyea Bandits – Strasbourg, SK
• Puck This – Las Vegas, NV
• Those Guys – Concord, NH
• L.A Chill – Malibu, CA
• Highrollers – Stony Plain, AB
• Hosers – Edmonton, AB
• Phat and Slow – Calgary, AB
• Blackhawks – Coquitlam, BC
• Hinton Old Warriors – Hinton, AB
• Scouts – Levittown, NY
• Cyclones – Tampa Bay, FL
• Ice Aged – Rossburn, MB
• Hawks – Calgary, AB
• White Rock Aces – Richmond, BC
• Krumbs – McKinney, TX
• Hatrick Heroes – Newport Beach, CA
• Canadian Bacon – Caledonia, ON
• Molson Canadian – Culver City, CA
• Crimson Kings – Orange County, CA
• Chicago Hawks – Chicago, IL

From everyone here at CHE we wish all participating teams the best of luck this weekend, and if you happen to be in Las Vegas, head over to the Las Vegas Ice Center and check out some of the action.

Graydon Crowley

Canadian Hockey Entperprises

How’d Your Team Draft?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Click Image for Link)

With over 100000 subscribers, the world of http://www.reddit.com/r/hockey is a great place to go for all things hockey, but every once in a while someone really bright will put something together that just has to be shared.  One such redditor created this incredibly detailed interactive draft history site where you can see how your teams draft choices have paid off over the past 45 years.  It takes a bit of playing around to figure out exactly what all of the infographics are saying, but once you do it’s extremely informative and interesting.

Enjoy

Graydon Crowley

Canadian Hockey Enterprises