How The Toronto Pride Hockey Tournament Helps Build Queer Community
The tournament runs May 30 and 31 from the Ford Performance Centre and is open to queer women, trans, two-spirit and non-binary folks.
One weekend each year in Toronto, 16 teams of queer women, trans, non-binary, two-spirit, and gender expansive hockey players descend on the Ford Performance Centre for a weekend of hockey and queer joy.
The Toronto Pride Hockey Tournament is a charity hockey tournament for players of all levels to play hockey and meet some new friends while raising money for local Toronto charities.
I sat down with Liz Dewdney (She/Her) and Sheri Krell (She/Her), the founders of the Toronto Hockey Pride Tournament, to learn more about one of the largest queer hockey tournaments in the world. And first, I had to know how this whole thing came to be.
"I want to tell that story," Liz immediately jumped in, "Because I love it, okay?
"So, we're on our way to a Hanukkah party at a friend's house and [Sheri] turned to me and said, very off the cuff... Do you want to start a hockey tournament? And the second the words were out of her mouth, you know, my wheels started spinning."
But it wasn't that off the cuff for Sheri, who'd been thinking about doing something like this since playing in the London Pride tournament. "I had this deal with my sister of, should I pass away tragically at a young age, I would like a memorial hockey tournament but specifically a queer and trans folk hockey tournament, made in my name, you know? But then I kind of thought, why do I have to wait until I die? I'm going to create this."
The plan had been to partner with the George Bell Arena for the first year in order to keep costs down, until a collapsed roof at the arena threw a wrench in their plans.
"Through sheer luck, I would say, or determination, we were put in touch with a [city] councillor, where the Ford Performance Centre was one of his connections," Sheri explained.
For those women's hockey aficionados, you'll recognize the Ford Performance Centre as the arena where the Sceptres practice (as well as the Marlies and Leafs) and the Toronto Furies played when the CWHL still existed. The centre has four ice sheets, making for a much larger and tighter tournament.
"We went from, you know, having this idea conception, even if it was never realized, of this very small grassroots tournament that was going to happen at a very community level, and then we were sort of thrust into this much bigger, but in my mind, better tournament," Liz told me.
But right from the beginning, the Toronto community stepped up to support.
"The amount of people who want to participate has blown us away," Sheri said, "I feel really fortunate to say that 90 or 95 per cent of the participants are actual members of the [queer] community."
Pride Tape, Gladday Bookstore, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, and the PWHL partner with the tournament, providing event space, gift bags, and jerseys. And as the tournament has grown, more and more people have wanted to get involved.
"New this year, we have a committee, which is great," Sheri explained, "[We] want this to be a sustainable tournament. We don't want it to die when one of us has to step away."
The Toronto Pride Hockey Tournament isn't just about the sport, although they do a lot of that; it's also about building community. Players sign up individually rather than in pre-existing teams, so they get a chance to meet new friends. There are also pre-tournament and post-tournament events that give participants the chance to mix and mingle.
"I think when you bring people together who have this shared passion, even if they don't necessarily have a lot of things in common, I think that can be a catalyst to forming bonds," Liz said, "I happen to know a few people who have started dating after the tournament... I know people who've met at this tournament and have maintained relationships."
It's also not just about playing hockey, it's about playing hockey in a queer space.
"I've had a couple of people come up to me and say, this tournament is amazing," Sheri told me, "They have played their whole lives but to play in a queer space is something that they don't have a luxury of all the time."
And speaking of luxury, three years of running this tournament has helped Liz, Sheri, and their team take a deeper look at the reality that hockey is a luxury for many people in the queer community.
"This year, we now have a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion position on our committee, and what we're trying to do through that is think of different ways that we can incorporate the tournament to be more inclusive for folks who might not have had ice hockey growing up because of the barriers... all of these elements have helped create a white culture in ice hockey."
Not only is hockey an incredibly expensive sport, but it also requires a flexible schedule, the ability to skate, and often additional requirements like volunteering, dryland training, and tournaments.
To combat some of these barriers, the team held back some spots to specifically be filled by members of these marginalized communities. They also have a pay-what-you-can registration option and hope to have a gear swap so that people can get access to pieces they need, regardless of financial situation.
"[This year] we got the blessing of the venue to be able to put up signage on washrooms and to put up signage focusing on it being a trans-inclusive space and to not police who is walking around, who is playing in the tournament. We're really excited about removing these barriers that exist, and laying the foundation for this."
Other goals for the future? Long-term stability and bringing in new partners.
"At the end of the day, all I want for it is longevity and stability, regardless of whether or not myself or Sheri is at the helm," Liz said.
"I have a couple of dreams," Sheri said, "I would like our partnership to be stronger with the PWHL. Also sponsorship: We've been able to raise over $10,000 for our charities... with more sponsorship money, you can give more to charity."
In previous years, the tournament raised money for multiple charities. But this year, they are focusing on Get REAL, an organization that works with schools and workplaces to combat 2SLGBTQIA+ discrimination and racism.
"We are going to donate the lion's share of our money raised to them, and in return, they are doing a lot of help with our DEI initiatives, and we're going to do a training session with all our volunteers, our referees, and all of our committee members," Liz explained.
And the tournament doesn't just stop at traditional hockey, either.
"Last year, we were able to organize the first sledge hockey pride exhibition game, and now we continued the partnership, and we're going to have a try-it demo sledge hockey for anyone who, you know, fans, players, who want to go out and try playing some sledge hockey," Liz said.
Not a hockey player? You can come too! Fans are welcome to come and cheer on the teams (there will be a make-your-own sign station!), enjoy the beer garden, shop the queer market, and meet other queer women. Hockey can be the catalyst for connection, even if you never touch the ice.
The tournament runs May 30 and 31 at Ford Performance Centre, and registration is still open.
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