Arvada – Today, members of the Arvada Pee Wee Hockey Association AA team, most of their parents and extended families will board airplanes bound for Quebec City. When they get there, the players will say goodbye to their parents and live with other families.
It is all part of what figures to be one of the most thrilling times in the lives of the young hockey players, who are 10-13 years old, who will participate in the 48th annual Quebec International Pee Wee hockey tournament at Le Pepsi Colisee, which starts today through Feb. 18. The tourney is considered the hockey equivalent of the Little League World Series.
The Arvada team, coached by John McKibbon and partly sponsored by the Avalanche, had a final practice Wednesday night at the Apex Ice Center, with Avs young stars Paul Stastny and Peter Budaj on hand. Friday night at the Colisee – where the Quebec Nordiques used to play – Arvada will take on the Connecticut Wolves, a AAA team.
Win or lose Friday, the team will stay in Quebec for 10 days, playing exhibition games against area teams if it is knocked out early.
“The kids have been chomping at the bit for this for a while now,” said McKibbon, who has coached youth hockey in Arvada the past 10 years. “We want them to get the full experience of this. It’s all going to be very exciting and memorable for these kids, I’m sure. It will be for me, too.”
One of hockey’s traditions is for youth players on junior or other traveling teams to stay with families, who serve as hosts. Each Arvada player will stay with a different family, absorbing their French-Canadian customs, eating their home cooking and maybe even taking out the trash. Their parents will stay in hotels.
The tournament features 110 teams from 14 countries. Stastny played in the tournament, which was made more memorable because his father, Peter, starred for the Nordiques on the same ice.
“The place was packed, I remember, and they had a ceremony for my dad before the game,” Stastny said. “In terms of (youth) tournaments, this is by far the biggest one. I’m sure they’ll remember it forever.”
Arvada defenseman Nate Morris, 12, does not know the family he’ll be staying with yet. And, he doesn’t care.
“I’m really looking forward to it. We’ll get to see their culture and live in it for a while. It’ll be a change for sure,” said Morris, who attends Drake Middle School.
Arvada left wing Bobby Valdez thinks his team can win the tournament if it continues to play its style, which he described as “a skating team.”
“We win with speed and passing,” said Valdez, 13, who attends Prairie View High School. “Whatever happens, it will be fun.”
Adrian Dater can be reached at 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com.
Pee Wees on ice
What: 48th Quebec International Pee Wee Hockey tournament
When: Today through Feb. 18
Where: Le Pepsi Colisee, Quebec City
Local ties: The Arvada Pee Wee AA team, partially sponsored by the Avalanche, will play the Connecticut Wolves on Friday night in the first round.
ARVADA PEE WEE AA
TEAM ROSTER
No. Player
52 Evan Broome
38 Kyle Burkhardt
55 Brian Butterfield
42 Adam Durkee
48 Zach Geiger
1 Tyler Goff
53 Darius Maes
44 Ian Mansfield
12 Joey Marchese
60 Nate Morris
84 Nathan Mikesell
30 Kyle Piersky
16 Max Ross
36 RJ Salvato
46 Nick Spinder
80 Cody Thompson
6 Bobby Valdez
Head coach – John McKibbon
