Street-hockey extravaganza can be Canada's biggest ever

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Winnipeg Free Press, Monday May 11, 2009
Reproduced with permission.

Winnipeg's hockey self- esteem took a beating after the Jets left back in 1996, but since then the city has worked hard to prove it's worthiness among the top hockey cities. Playing host to world-class events like the 1999 World Junior Hockey Championship and then the 2007 World Women's Hockey Championship, in addition to supporting the Manitoba Moose, Winnipeggers have proved that their city is home to some of the best hockey fans in the world.

Jeff Dzikowicz is one of those people. And he's hoping Winnipeggers will embrace Play On! Winnipeg, a street-hockey festival presented by CBC's Hockey Night in Canada, to prove to the world that we're tops when it comes to hockey. As director of the Play On! Winnipeg event, he said he's certain we have what it takes.

"Everybody loves street hockey and it's NHL playoff time so everybody is excited," Dzikowicz said, adding he's certain that, compared to other cities, more people per capita from Winnipeg play some sort of hockey, whether street, sponge or recreational ice hockey.

He said he hopes to have at least 250 teams totalling nearly 2,000 players register to take part in Play On! Winnipeg, which would beat out Play On! Calgary, which last year was the largest event to date with 229 teams.

"We can't possibly let Calgary be bigger -- we're a better hockey city than Calgary," he declared, adding that the Winnipeg event will feature categories for children of all ages, men's, women's and coed teams and will raise money for the United Way.

"My goal is to make Winnipeg the street-hockey capital of Canada, which would essentially make us the street-hockey capital of the world."

But to do so, he figures he'll need the help of nearly 80 volunteers to run the event, which will close down Memorial Boulevard on May 23 and 24 to accommodate nearly 20 street-hockey rinks. He said volunteers are still needed to officiate games, assist with scorekeeping and scheduling, and serve as crossing and security guards at the busy downtown location. Additionally, help is needed to set up for the event on May 22 and take down the facilities after it ends on May 24.

"I think it's going to be a lot of fun. It's going to be a high-energy event, lots of excitement going on," Dzikowicz promised, adding there will be NHL and AHL players in attendance at the event, which will also feature a celebrity game. "This is an opportunity to mix and mingle with the community."

If you would like more information or would like to volunteer, please visit playon.ca. If you would like to register a team in the event you can do so online. The deadline for registrations is midnight May 20.