Tournament honours memory of Ayr Centennials’ ‘forever captain’, Eli Palfreyman

A hockey tournament honouring a man who collapsed in the dressing room of the North Dumfries Community Complex has begun. CTV's Colton Wiens reports.

A hockey tournament honouring the life of a man who collapsed in the dressing room of the North Dumfries Community Complex has begun.

The fourth annual Eli Palfreyman Memorial Tournament is hosted by the Ayr Centennials and St. Andrew’s College. In its original iteration, the tournament was supposed to be a tune up for players ahead of the regular season, but during the event’s first year in 2022, a sudden death changed the course of the event.

Ayr’s team captain, Eli Palfreyman, collapsed in the dressing room during the second intermission of a game. The 20-year-old later died in hospital.

Ever since, the tournament has carried on his name.

“[I’m] excited that it’s another year celebrating Eli and the legacy of him during this tournament,” Tammy Palfreyman, Eli’s mother, said.

“[The tournament] gave us great resolve to continue the tournament in Eli’s name, and this is the fourth year.” Tim Barrie, governor and director of hockey operations for the Ayr Centennials told CTV News on Wednesday night. “It means a lot for myself, our team and the family.”

This year, the Cambridge Redhawks are participating in the tournament for the first time. Palfreyman was from Cambridge and spent several years playing for minor Cambridge teams.

“Eli was a great hockey player,” Todd Hoffman, director of hockey operation for the Cambridge Redhawks, recalled. “I knew him real well when he was playing in our league. And our guys, we’re supporting the event this year and we’re glad to be here.”

Organizers say the tournament is a great opportunity to keep celebrating the memory of their friend and fellow hockey lover.

“We still have a player that played when he was here, but the players all know of him,” Barrie said. “Even though he’s not with us here, he is with us. He carries himself with us. He’s what we call our forever captain. And when we step out on the ice, we’ll be thinking of Eli.”

It’s also a very competitive tournament as teams test where they stack up ahead of the regular season.

“Every team is here to win. Last year we won the tournament, which was very exciting for us. Every game was a battle, and it will be the same,” Barrie said. “We expect to have 45 to 50 scouts from NHL and OHL and NCAA Division 1 teams.”

The tournament runs until Sunday with eight teams competing for the trophy. It includes five Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League teams, an all Indigenous select team, an elite AAA program from Pittsburgh and St. Andrew’s College.

“Come out and watch some great junior hockey with some competitive teams. We’re really excited to have so many different teams come out and we hope the tournament gets bigger,” Tammy Palfreyman said. “And it’s a great opportunity to celebrate a great kid with a great life who loved hockey, and a bunch of other kids coming out to celebrate hockey the same way.”