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The founder of the International Silver Stick
Association, Mr. Jack Kinsella, was born in Regina,
Sask., April 8, 1908. He moved to Ottawa, Ontario as
a child and it was in the city that the idea of
Silver Stick originated in 1957.
The purpose of the
venture was to further International relations
between PeeWee and Bantam age players from Richmond,
Ontario area south of Ottawa, Canada’s Capital, and
upper New York state.
The theme of the entire program is
to promote citizenship and goodwill through the
medium of Silver Stick Hockey, and to foster
sportsmanship through International competition for
youth of all nations.
A trophy was needed for the tournament and one of
the founders, Mr. Ernie Temple, is credited with the
idea of using a long stick instead of a trophy to
present the winners. The stick, made of silver and
donated by the Ottawa Citizen newspaper, was used at
the first Silver Stick Tournament in 1958, in
Richmond, Ontario. Relative replicas of the Original
Silver Stick Trophy are used in North American
Finals.
In 1961, Mr. Kinsella contacted the late Mr. Fred
Lamelein of Port Huron, Michigan who then visited
with Mr. Kinsella in Ottawa. Following that meeting,
Silver Stick Hocky was introduced to southwestern
Ontario with a tournament in Watford. Mr. Roy Caley
of Watford was responsible for organizing and
promoting this event.
Mr.
Kinsella died in Ottawa, Ontario on March 14, 2007,
the same year that the 50th Anniversary of
International Silver Stick was celebrated at the AGM
hosted by Whitby Silver Stick. The highlight of the
year’s celebrations was when Tom Cowick, a Silver
Stick Pioneer who coached a Richmond team in 1959
against Potsdam N.Y. organized a 50th
Anniversary celebration for Richmond and held it on
February 16, 2008. It included games between
Richmond and Potsdam PeeWee and Bantam teams and was
attended by the U.S. Ambassador to Canada and a
Canadian Cabinet Minister, just like 50 years
earlier. The original Silver Stick trophy used in
1958, and that now rests in the Hockey Hall of Fame
in Toronto, was also used during the Richmond
celebrations.
In January of 1963, the first North North American
Finals Tournament took place in Port Huron,
Michigan. On May 19, 1963, a Constitution and Bylaws
were adopted and an International Board elected.
Port Huron was chosen as the permanent "home" of
Silver Stick Hockey and the site of the Peewee and
Bantam Finals each year.
In
1969 Sarnia, Ontario was established as the site of
the “Atom and Midget” Finals Tournament each year.
In subsequent years, new Finals were introduced at
other locations, as new divisions, and girls’ hockey
were added to the Silver Stick line-up.
The International Silver
Stick Board of Directors is headed by a
Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, Second Deputy
Commissioner, Executive Director and Immediate Past
Commissioner. Of the fourteen directors, seven
represent Canada and seven represent the U.S.A.
Since the Finals in Port
Huron, the competition has grown to feature upwards
of 65,000 participants each year.
Regional Tournaments
Regional Tournaments are held throughout North
America in areas reaching from British Colombia,
Colorado, Texas, Alabama, and Maryland. The main
concentration of Regional Tournaments are in Ontario
and north central United States of America.
The winning teams from Regional's then vie for top
honors at the Silver Stick Finals here they compete
against the winners from the other Regional's.
Regional tournaments are under the direction of the
Regional Directors. All Regional Directors must be
santioned each year by the Board of Directors.
Players and coaches of the Regional Championship
teams wil receive a Regional Silver Stick
Championship Pin. All participants will receive a
dated souvenir Silver Stick Pin. Other awards
presented will vary by tournament.
Note: There are presently three "AAA" Division
Regional Tournaments in North America. The other
"AAA" teams competing in the Final Tournaments are
by invitation and include the elite teams from the
various "AAA" leagues. |
