The Strippers Old-Timers Tournament is ageless.
The puck drops for the biggest old-timer hockey tournament in the province, as the Estevan Strippers Spring Bust tournament begins this evening with games at the Civic Auditorium and Lignite Miners Centre. For the tournament's 29th consecutive year, 28 teams will descend upon the city of Estevan for five days of hockey and entertainment.
Rick Rohatyn has been part of the tournament since its inception, when a fellow teacher approached him with the idea of starting a hockey tournament.
He said at the time, old-timers tournaments were just beginning to pop into the forefront but were not nearly as ubiquitous as they are today.
"Back then old-timers hockey was pretty new," said Rohatyn. Where before winners got medals and trophies, now they hand out T-shirts and towels. This year the winning teams will get bunny hugs.
Steeped in tradition, this tournament brings great hockey to the city in both a competitive and fun atmosphere. Aside from dollars coming into the local economy for hotels and restaurants, Rohatyn said the tournament has raised about $100,000 in its nearly 30 years for local organizations. That money comes from team registration, local sponsorship and raffles that are done each year.
"Tradition has a lot to do with it," he said. "When you build something, as long as you continue to provide a fine product, people will come back to it."
Most teams are repeat entrants who have been coming to the tournament year after year. The organizers and entrants have developed a rapport in that time.
"They certainly say it's the best tournament they ever go to, and will never get off the mailing list. They say, 'We'll always be there. We'll always scrounge players to make sure we get there.' We've indicated to them we'll do whatever we can to help them out."
The dates for next year's tournament will be set by the time the teams show up this year, as most like to plan a year in advance.
"They just say it's the greatest tournament they go to. They're happy with the number of games that they play. They're satisfied with their draw, and they love the raffle."
Teams are usually pretty generous with the raffle too. Rohatyn said they never have to remind teams to buy raffle tickets. He said they will find him. This year the raffle will include a trip to Fernie, B.C., which covers accommodations and golfing.
In the past, teams have come from other provinces but it's becoming harder to bring in new teams from far away. Previous teams have until March 1 to commit to the tournament, so organizers can't begin taking new teams until that time. That only leaves a month for new teams to register and for those coming from great distances, it can be difficult to plan in just a month.
Rohaytn noted a team will be coming from Brandon, Man. Teams from Yorkton, Regina and Moose Jaw will be attending as well.
Rohatyn continues to look toward the future of the tournament. Having access to three ice pads next year, he is considering expanding the tournament with the hope of attracting more than 28 teams. With the growing popularity in women's hockey in the area, he said he is very interested in including a women's division.
When organizing for so long, Rohatyn said he sometimes gets complacent and has to shake himself back into double-checking everything. Between the two Estevan teams, there are about 50 players who not only compete but chip in to make sure it goes smoothly.
The Estevan curling rink will house most of the off-ice activities including a cabarets on Friday and Saturday night featuring Crossroads and Third Degree Birnz.
For those not playing this weekend, Rohatyn said there is plenty of high-calibre hockey to watch throughout the weekend.
