Hello Humber Valley families,
It has been a busy month back in the rinks. I’ve been lucky to make it out to a number of events and have seen firsthand the happiness of players and families to be back in the game we love. I want to thank all of our players, families, coaches and volunteers who have supported the additional measures in place over the last few months and who have respected staff who have been assigned the unenviable task of enforcing policies at facilities in which our programs are held. While we continue to navigate the changing protocols, we may encounter policies which differ from facility to facility and we ask for your ongoing cooperation.
A Safe Welcoming Hockey Environment for All
There has been a significant push at all levels of hockey to deliver a safe and welcoming environment for all. At Humber Valley, ensuring the safety and feeling of belonging of all of our members is our number one priority. We want all of our members to feel a sense of belonging regardless of their background or level of experience in hockey. We believe that all members should have the opportunity to have fun playing hockey and this means a community that is accepting and supportive. We encourage all families to reinforce this message with their player(s). While it is okay to be proud of oneself, we want to stress the importance of being humble and respectful to all participants and individuals inside and outside of the rink. We have a zero tolerance policy for abusive behaviour or language and we encourage anyone witnessing such behaviour to report it to a coach or member of the board.
Loss of Beloved Humber Valley Coach Steve Daly
We are saddened to announce the loss of one of our beloved coaches. In January after a valiant fight with ALS, long-time Humber Valley coach Steve Daly passed away. Steve was the epitome of what HVHA strives for. He championed respect, fair play & equality, teaching his players the value of hard work and team spirit.
On February 6th, his family, team and the hockey community came together to honour him on the ice ahead of their first game back after the shutdown. The opposing team, the U13 Toronto Eagles presented a special jersey as a tribute to Steve, to his youngest son George who plays for the U13 Sharks. The presentation was followed by a moment of silence to remember Steve.
If you would like to honour Steve, the family is asking for support to be directed to their Stevie Fever for ALS Foundation where every dollar donated will contribute to the goal of a world where ALS is a liveable disease and life with ALS is more manageable.
House League Season Updates
We have received a number of questions about extending the house league season in light of the sessions that were cancelled in December and January. We have been working with our City partners and have managed to extend both the the Junior and Intermediate seasons. Details will be loaded into TeamSnap shortly. Due to facility closure dates, we were unable to extend the season to cover all missed sessions. With this, we will offer pro-rated credits to next season’s fees or refunds for players who are not returning. We are in the process of working out these details and additional information will be made available soon.
The Shark Attack Select Tournament
Our annual Shark Attack Select Tournament held February 25th to 27th was a huge success on and off the ice! We saw some great competition, team spirit, smiles and friendships throughout the weekend. 74 teams including 11 Humber Valley Sharks squads from U7 through U13 participated. What an event! A very big thank you goes out to the participants, coaches, and supporters! This truly is what hockey is all about!
Check out the 2022 Shark Attack Tournament photo gallery!
2022 U18 All-Star Festival
Last month, the GTHL announced the details and rosters for the upcoming U18 All-Star Festival to be held March 4th and 5th at Scotiabank Pond. Our Sharks will be well represented with 13 players participating – 7 from the first place AA team and 6 from the second-place A team.
Sharks named to Team Blue for the AA game, Saturday, March 5 at 2:40pm:
- Goalie – Will Steedman
- Defence – Owen Brazel
- Defence – Troy Chamberlain
- Forward – Jordan Abbas
- Forward – Trent Martin
- Forward – Aaron Toguri
- Forward – Jonathan Rzepka
Sharks playing for Team West in the A game, Saturday, March 5 at 5:00pm:
- Goalie – Lachlan Cope
- Defence – Julian Agostinelli
- Defence – Cole Shannon
- Forward – Cameron Elbe
- Forward – Lachlan McConvey
- Forward – Devan Fenwick
Check out what our U18 “A” All-Stars had to say when asked to reflect on their minor hockey careers.
Congrats to all the Sharks players listed above!
Call for Applicants to Join our Board of Directors
At the end of this season we will see 5 board members retire or step down from their positions. With these vacancies, we are looking for applicants for a variety of roles. As a board member you will play a key role in building and providing quality, family focused, inclusive hockey programs to our community. If you’re interested in learning more and/or applying for a role, please reach out to Margaret Gunawan at mgunawan@humbervalleyhockey.com.
Unbelievably we already find ourselves in March and closing in on the end of the house league season. Despite the challenges faced this year we are proud of the programs we were able to carry out and of all of the hard work and development of our players. We wish you all an enjoyable end to the season. And to our competitive teams completing their seasons, entering playoffs and attending year end tournaments, we wish you the very best of luck!
Thank you,
Steve Allmen
President, Humber Valley Hockey Association
sallmen@humbervalleyhockey.com