Former Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Patrick Madahbee marvels at the tournament’s longevity. “It’s an outstanding accomplishment,” says Madahbee, who has been involved with the event since its inception, including stints on the tournament executive, some years as president. “You have to keep in mind we’re just a group of volunteers. It takes us a year to get organized for the next tournament.”

Madahbee had hoped to play in the tournament’s inaugural year. But he was a few months too old to take part. A couple of his friends were in the same predicament. Instead, the older teens were recruited as referees. “For our ‘pay,’ at the end of the day, we would get a hot dog and a hot chocolate,” Madahbee reminisces.

The event has reached the point where three generations of families have now competed in the Little NHL. This includes former Moose Cree First Nation Chief Mervin Cheechoo, his son Jonathan, who went on to play 560 games in the National Hockey League, and Jonathan’s young son, Jack, who travelled from San Jose, Calif., to take part. Ted Nolan, a member of Garden River First Nation in northern Ontario, is also a tournament alumnus. He went on to both play and coach in the NHL. Nolan’s sons — Jordan, a three-time Stanley Cup champion, and Brandon, who also played in the NHL — are Little NHL graduates as well.

Little NHL president Marian Jacko also marvels at the history of the tournament and the fact it continues to thrive. “Out of adversity, out of something negative, this positive event came to be,” she says. “There’s a real sense of pride for your First Nation when you’re playing in this tournament or even just attending it. It speaks volumes for that vision those founding fathers had.”