Local Hockey Families Take Their Game to Europe for an Unforgettable Adventure
/By Scott Arnold
For more than 50 local hockey families, what started as an idea around a kitchen table turned into a 10-day European adventure they won't soon forget.
Local hockey players take in the sights and enjoy some downtime together during their 10-day European adventure. (Photo courtesy of Tiffany Marchant)
Rob Carleton, the founder of On the Pond Canada, recently returned from Finland and Sweden after taking three teams, two 2013 teams and a U18 team, overseas to compete in the Lions Cup in Helsinki.
And while there was plenty of hockey involved, the trip became about much more than what happened on the ice.
“So we got two 2013 teams and a U18 team,” Carleton explained. “It started with the one 2013 team, which is my son’s age, my younger son (Eason). So a bunch of us got together. I have a contact over in Finland from a guy I played with at Carleton University. So he runs the tournament, all the tournaments around there in Prague as well.”
Before any of that could happen, though, there was a lot of work to do.
“We started the process probably 18 months out,” Carleton said. “That's when the idea came to mind and we got to my, we actually met, came to my place and a few of the dads and said, listen, I think I can do this. If you guys want to jump on board, On the Pond can do this with my contact over there. I can make this experience unbelievable for everybody here.”
Eighteen months later, the families were finally on their way.
“I remember we were flying there on the plane with, I don't know, 35 families were on the flight we were on,” Carleton said. “And we're all like, we're here. We're finally here. Eighteen months. I'm holding my head. I hope it's as good as I think it's going to be. And I think we went above and beyond.”
The group flew into Helsinki, where the tournament was held, and spent about six days there before continuing on to Stockholm.
Away from the rink, the players had plenty of opportunities to explore, spend time together and take in the sights during their trip. (Photo courtesy of Tiffany Marchant)
There was plenty of hockey, but the itinerary also included sightseeing and a trip to Estonia. The group then boarded a ferry for a 16-hour overnight trip from Helsinki to Stockholm.
“We did sightseeing, went to Estonia, the oldest country in the world, on a ferry ship that was massive,” Carleton said. “Kids loved it. It was unbelievable.”
The ferry to Stockholm became another memorable part of the trip.
“We took another ferry cruise ship, which was a 16-hour one that we slept on from Helsinki to Stockholm,” he said. “It was unbelievable. The cruise ship had the casino on it. There's so much to do for the kids to do.”
Once they reached Stockholm, the group continued exploring the city.
“We get to Stockholm and we went sightseeing there. It's so beautiful over there,” Carleton said. “The kids get on scooters and just go around Stockholm and Helsinki. Very clean cities and very safe.”
On the ice, the competition was strong.
The teams faced opponents from Finland, Sweden, Scotland and the United States, with the U18 team making it to the bronze-medal game.
“We played Scotland the first game, beat them. And then we played the Americans in the bronze,” Carleton said. “And with what's going on with the States and Canada, it was crazy. The arena was packed, Canadian flags, American flags, and we won the shootout. So the place went crazy.”
There was an added local flavour to the atmosphere.
“It was interesting because all the Finnish fans and Swedish fans were cheering for Canada,” Carleton said.
The other local teams also had strong tournaments, with Canadian teams bringing home silver and bronze medals while Swedish teams captured gold in both divisions.
2013 Team White: Eli Wright, Dillon King, Lincoln Gillespie, Lucas Trofimov, Kye Adamson, Hunter Jessup, Reid Bailey, Jayden Taylor, Eason Carleton, Nolan Walker, Rylan Robertson, Canaan Carter, Hank Murtha, Spencer D'Amico-Davies, Jase MacDonell, Clayteon Briscoe and Jaxson Godward. (photo courtesy of tiffany marchant)
2013 Team Red: Ethan Pais, Lochlan Pherrill, Talin Hawkins, Josh Russelle, Harley Cameron, Jimmy Marchant, Emery Warrick, Griffin Larmer, Archer Scott, Dylan Baker, Carter Collins, Roman McDonald, Xander McKay, Kolton Adamson, Lucas Woollacott and Hunter Jankowski. (photo courtesy of tiffany marchant)
2013 Team White: Eli Wright, Dillon King, Lincoln Gillespie, Lucas Trofimov, Kye Adamson, Hunter Jessup, Reid Bailey, Jayden Taylor, Eason Carleton, Nolan Walker, Rylan Robertson, Canaan Carter, Hank Murtha, Spencer D'Amico-Davies, Jase MacDonell, Clayteon Briscoe and Jaxson Godward. (photo courtesy of tiffany marchant)
But some of the most memorable parts of the trip happened away from the rink.
Carleton said one of the unexpected highlights was the group of university students who served as their tour guides.
“I thought would be like little old ladies on the bus with us with the tour guides and stuff and nice and stuff,” he said. “But we get there and it's university students and they all connected with the kids.”
The guides stayed at the same hotel, travelled with the families and joined them on the ferry to Stockholm.
“They became the babysitters, the parents, because they'd tell the parents what's going on, the itinerary every single day,” Carleton said. “They travelled on the ferry ship over to Stockholm with us and they became our family.”
That connection was something Carleton said the group didn't expect when they left Peterborough.
“So we became this one big European family,” he said. “Now we see everyone around here and it's like, Finland, Finland, Finland.”
From hockey games to sightseeing, the players had plenty of opportunities to enjoy the experience together throughout their European adventure. (Photo courtesy of Tiffany Marchant)
Tiffany Marchant, whose son Jimmy was playing in tournament, experienced the trip from a different perspective.
While Carleton was busy coaching all three teams and working long days, Marchant was able to take in the experience as a hockey mom.
“I just got to be a hockey mom and cheer on the kids,” Marchant said. “It was a great time. I definitely was looking at it through a different lens than Rob because I'm out having a good time, enjoying myself, I think a little bit more.”
What surprised her most was how much the adults enjoyed the experience too.
“I was surprised actually how fun it was for all of the parents,” she said. “I knew it would be great for the kids, or I was hoping it would be, which it was. But I think all of the parents were pleasantly surprised when we were there as well, like how much we truly enjoyed ourselves.”
Marchant said there was some uncertainty about what 10 days of travelling with a large group of hockey families would be like.
“Jumping on a team bus with all these kids is kind of like, ‘Oh, I wonder if I'm going to last 10 days and be as excited as I am on the first day, on the last day,’” she said.
The answer came pretty quickly.
“And it was, we had a great time,” Marchant said. “We looked forward to it every day.”
For Marchant, the opportunity to give the players that kind of experience was an easy decision.
“I never experienced anything like that when I was younger,” she said. “My big trip, I played rugby. I went to B.C. with my rugby team. And honestly, core memory for me, like even just going to B.C. with my team.”
That made the chance to create a similar memory for the young hockey players especially meaningful.
“So I thought, you know, if this can happen for the kids and they can do something they're so passionate about, like, why not?” Marchant said. “And I'll go. Happily.”
The trip was about more than just hockey, with the players getting plenty of time to explore and enjoy the experience together. (Photo courtesy of Tiffany Marchant)
