CREDIT: PROVIDED BY GREG MATTHISON
The cancelled spring street hockey tourney is back in London thanks to the efforts of Chad Asselstine (left), Greg Matthison (middle), Dick Price (right) with GOT GAME Sports.

Continuing a 15-year tradition, GOT GAME Sports will be reviving the annual street hockey tournament here in London after the original organizers announced at the beginning of this year that the tournament would not be running in 2018.

With the efforts of GOT GAME Sports, who help manage large sports tournaments and local ball hockey leagues, this great tradition will keep on playing.

The tourney has been a welcomed community event for both adults and youth alike to enjoy throughout many communities and was sorely missed by the hundreds who have attended this event in the London area.

Greg Matthison, event director of the GOT GAME Street Hockey Tournament, participated in the tournament in previous years and his son has played alongside him in the last two. He and his son's disappointment in the loss of the event was shared among many, and this prompted him to bring this tradition back.

“[The tourney] was just a big loss to the city. It's been a staple to the city for the last 15 years and a lot of people were heartbroken and upset, so there was a strong need for it.”

Matthison said that he has been planning for a number of years to roll out a multi sports tournament at this size, and that he hopes to be able to introduce other sports tournaments to the community, such as basketball and soccer.

Thousands of street hockey players will be able to hit the rinks in Victoria this May once more with their family and friends for a fun time. The event is expected to have a turnout of over 40,000 people and is being held at the same time as the Poutine Festival guaranteeing a good time for street hockey fans and their friends.

“It's a major event on the calendar for an army of street [hockey] followers, and many of them were highly disappointed that it left so this is a big event for them to get together with their friends locally and from outside the city.”

The tournament will be similar to former years, being available to players of all ages and set up in divisions determined by age groups. Brand new this year will be a Sports & Activity Expo, where there will be a number of different vendors from different sports-organizations featuring information and demonstrations about various other sports and activities.

“They'll have booths and be able to provide attendees with information and let them experience their sport,” Matthison said in a previous press release from SportsXpress. “And there will be live demonstrations. It's a great way to introduce people — young, old and in between — to different sports and connect them with health living organizations in our community.”

Matthison, though, is most excited for the main event — the street hockey tournament and that it will help them bring even more plans to other sports tournaments as big as this one.

“I am most excited for putting a new twist on a fantastic event, and then rolling it out to other sports.”

Matthison's son will be participating once more and he said that even if he will be busy with a lot of work running the event, he intends to play in the tournament.

“I need to have some of the fun too.”

For more information and to register for the tournament head on over to GotGameSports.ca.