A men’s hockey team from Norman Wells has secured first place at the Whistler Cup, an annual spring tournament held in the British Columbia town.
Bobby Lennie said the Norman Wells Roughnecks – made up of athletes from the Sahtu region and former residents now living elsewhere – came together through connections built over nearly two decades of playing in tournaments together.
Over the years, the group has travelled to destinations including Kelowna, Montreal and Las Vegas. This year’s tournament, held from April 24-26, brought them to Whistler, where they competed against teams from larger centres like Vancouver, Comox and Powell River.
Despite facing teams with bigger player pools and more resources, Lennie said the players proved they could compete at a high level.
“We’ve been attending tournaments for 19 years, and everybody on the team knows each other,” he told Cabin Radio.
Advertisement.
Advertisement.
According to Lennie, the team’s work ethic stood out throughout the tournament.
A telling moment came late in the third period of one round-robin game. With 30 seconds remaining, Lennie said, assistant captain Jason Balaski scored a crucial goal to tie the game.
“The people we played against, they were great people – very friendly. The organizers were very thorough, and the facility was very accommodating as well,” Lennie said, adding that one of the players forgot his skates, only for the facility’s rental shop to have the exact size available in stock.
“Everything ran smoothly. People were friendly and amazed that we’ve come from such a far distance to attend this tournament.”
Advertisement.
Advertisement.
Looking ahead, the team will mark 20 years of travelling to hockey tournaments together next season, with Nashville being discussed as a possible destination.
That will also be the end of Lennie’s time organizing the group. He plans to step aside and hand the role to a younger organizer.
For Norman Wells, the win carries significance beyond the rink.
The community is facing major economic challenges. Lennie said winning gold has provided a positive moment for residents back home, and he thanked everyone who continues to support the team.
“Everyone was excited and congratulated us,” he said.
“Any type of news is good news these days in Norman Wells, and sports always seems to be the situation that does that to the town.”
