THE FLINT OLDTIMERS HOCKEY CLUB BEGAN THEIR FIRST TOURNAMENT IN 1986 WITH JUST 6 TEAMS. OVER THE YEARS IT GREW TO AN EVENT FEATURING OVER 100 TEAMS BY IT'S 10TH YEAR. ALTHOUGH IT HAS SCALED BACK SINCE THEN IT IS STILL THE MOST REGARDED WINTER HOCKEY SEASON YEAR END EVENT.
GOOD COORDINATION AT THE ICE ARENAS IS CARRIED OUT BY OVER 30 VOLUNTEER MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF THE FLINT OLDTIMERS HOCKEY CLUB. A COMMUNICATIONS CENTER AT THE FLINT ICELAND ARENA COORDINATES TEAM STANDINGS ON AN HOURLY BASIS AND DEALS WITH A HOST OF OTHER DETAILS NECESSARY TO KEEP THE TOURNAMENT FUNCTIONING ON SCHEDULE.
A STANDARD ROUND - ROBIN FORMAT HAS EACH TEAM PLAYING THREE GAMES AGAINST OTHER TEAMS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE DIVISION. EACH TEAM IS CAREFULLY SEEDED BY THE TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE, BASED ON SUCH FACTORS AS OVERALL PLAYER AGE, HIGHEST LEVEL OF HOCKEY EXPERIENCE ACHIEVED, AND OTHER VARIOUS PARAMETERS. A NUMERICAL TOTAL OF THESE BASIC FACTORS ALLOWS FOR CLOSE AND FAIR COMPETITIVE GROUPING IN EACH AGE BRACKET. THE AGE BRACKETS THIS YEAR ARE 35+, 40+, 45+, 50+, 55+, AND 60+ . WE ANTICIPATE FUTURE GROWTH IN THE 65+ AND 70+ AGE DIVISIONS.
WHILE THE FAST-PACED CLOSE CHECKING GAMES WILL BE AN OBVIOUS FAN ATTRACTION, A FURTHER SUBDUED, BUT IMPORTANT ECONOMIC BENEFIT WILL BE PLAYER AND FAMILY MONIES INFUSED INTO THE LOCAL RESTAURANT, HOTEL/MOTEL, AND RETAIL SECTORS OF THE SUBURBAN FLINT AREA ECONOMY. BASED ON PAST MARKETING STUDIES IN THE FLINT AREA, AND A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED TOURISM CONVENTION SPENDING FORMULA, THE EVENT WILL GENERATE OVER $400,000 OF REVENUE FOR THE LOCAL ECONOMY.
ADDITIONALLY, THE VEHICLE CITY EVENT HAS DEVELOPED A POSITIVE REPUTATION AS A "PRESTIGE" EVENT BY CANADIAN TEAMS, AND REPRESENTS FOR MANY, A SEASON ENDING TOURNAMENT. FOR OTHERS IT ACTS AS A MINI-VACATION OR A PAY-BACK TO THE "HOCKEY WIDOW" WHO ENDURES THE PLAYERS TRAVELS TO THEIR MANY HOCKEY GAMES. COUPLED WITH A FAMILY-ORIENTED FOCUS, PLAYER SPENDING PATTERNS TEND TO BE 15-20 PERCENT HIGHER WHEN COMPARED WITH OTHER MID-WINTER OR EARLY-SEASON EVENTS.
RESEARCH ALSO SHOWS THAT THESE EVENTS HAVE BEEN FOCAL POINTS TO INTRODUCE ONTARIO VISITORS TO THE RETAIL VALUES OF THE FLINT AREA. ADDITIONAL RETAIL SPENDING OFTEN TAKES PLACE BY TEAM MEMBERS AND FAMILIES DURING "OFF-SEASON" TRIPS AS A RESULT OF PLAYING IN THIS TOURNAMENT. AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER SCHOOL-SHOPPING WERE GIVEN AS PRIME EXAMPLES OF ONTARIO NON-HOCKEY CONSUMER SPENDING. IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT THE RELATIVELY STRONGER CANADIAN DOLLAR WILL POSITIVELY IMPACT SPENDING THIS YEAR BY THESE VISITORS.
TOURNAMENT HEADQUARTERS WILL BE AT THE HOLIDAY INN GATEWAY CENTRE. A FRIDAY NIGHT HOSPITALITY WITH KARAOKE BAND WILL COMBINE WITH A MYSTERIOUS IMPERSONATOR TO PROVIDE AN ENTERTAINING EVENING FROM 9-12 PM. A FREE SATURDAY NIGHT DANCE WILL BE HELD FROM 9 PM TO 1 AM.
THIS EVENT ONCE NAMED THE "LARGEST OLDTIMERS HOCKEY TOURNAMENT IN NORTH AMERICA", IS NOW KNOWN AS ONE OF THE PREMIER OLDTIMERS HOCKEY TOURNAMENTS IN THE UNITED STATES. A COMPLETE PUBLIC SCHEDULE OF ALL GAMES AND PLAYING TIMES WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE FLINT ICELAND ARENAS. GAMES ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
A COMPLETE PUBLIC SCHEDULE OF ALL GAMES AND PLAYING TIMES WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THIS SITE AND AT THE FLINT ICELAND ARENAS.
