‘They stepped up’: Cole Harbour, N.S., replaces gear lost by airline for N.L. hockey players

The Nova Scotia sports community came together over the weekend to help some players in desperate need of some missing hockey gear.

Joe Lamontagne Memorial Tournament welcomed 160 teams from across Atlantic Canada to Cole Harbour, N.S., for a nine-day hockey tournament during the province’s March Break.

However, a few of the players arrived without their gear.

“Newfoundland’s teams that were coming over to participate started reaching out to us yesterday morning,” said tournament chair, Jeff McPhee.

“They got off their flights here in Halifax, went to baggage to collect their gear, and unfortunately their gear bags weren’t here. Gear bags were left in Newfoundland. So they’re here to play a hockey tournament with no hockey gear,” he said.

“So what do you do when you’re a hockey community? You step up and make sure the kids can get on the ice.”

The tournament sent out a call of help to the community asking for equipment to outfit seven children, and Cole Harbour — the hometown of NHL superstars Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon — showed up.

“They stepped up big time,” said McPhee.

There was probably enough gear to put 20 players on the ice, said McPhee, who thanked Pro Hockey Life for offering discounts and Top Shelf Skate Sharpening in Cole Harbour Place, which sharpened the extra skates for free.

“Really, it was the hockey community coming together and taking care of everybody, just like we always do,” he said.

The tournament will be played over two arenas, including Cole Harbour Place where Crosby and MacKinnon played minor hockey, on five ice surfaces with 350 games played from March 14 to 22.

The tournament was established in 1979.

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