Organizers of Polar Pond Hockey say funds raised at this year’s event will be given to families of the people involved in the Fort Smith January air crash.
Six people were killed when a flight to the Diavik diamond mine came down shortly after leaving Fort Smith’s airport. One person survived.
Charitable donations form a pillar of Polar Pond Hockey, the annual open-air tournament hosted by Hay River.
Organizer Terry Rowe told Cabin Radio $7,000 would be donated to the families. The Town of Fort Smith has previously publicized online fundraisers for the relatives of those who passed away and the survivor.
This year’s Polar Pond Hockey featured around 25 teams. While some years can attract as many as 40, the 2024 edition faced bitterly cold weather and a wealth of events on the same weekend. The NWT Association of Communities annual meeting and K’amba Carnival were each competing for attention – and hotel rooms.
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“The town is bursting at the seams. It’s just good to see people out and socializing. That’s part of the recovery,” said town manager Glenn Smith, referring to the process of moving on from last year’s wildfires and multiple evacuations.
“We’ve talked about wildfire recovery, flood recovery, building houses back, building infrastructure, but we’ve got to build relationships back up again. That’s how we heal as a community, having events like this,” said Smith.
“A key thing that’s emerging this year, and since Covid, is making sure we get people out and interacting, and looking after their mental health and supporting each other.”
Fort Smith participant Delaney Poitras said: “Being with friends, just the environment is so positive and welcoming. It’s always a good trip to come to Hay River, even though it’s two hours away.”
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“It’s so neat to see how many people from our community participate,” said Hay River resident and pond hockey player Courtney Fraser, “but then how many people come in from other communities to be part of this event. It’s really cool that our town is able to put up something that’s so well attended by so many people.”
Another Hay River resident, Heather Coakwell, said the pond hockey rinks could see action for weeks to come, even with the tournament over.
“You see a bunch of kids come out – the kids come out and cheer on the adults – and then the next day, after the tournament’s over, minor hockey comes out and uses the rink,” Coakwell said.
“We kind-of keep it going for another month or so, as long as we can. The whole community just comes out and helps. To me, that’s what makes it worth it.”
