The OHF Banquet, held on Thursday, April 7th, proved to be a Night to Remember.
The Banquet was hosted at the Markham Hilton Suites Hotel (Warden / Hwy7), rich in spirit, honoured with esteemed guests and distinguished with flawless execution. The evening's event planning magic was much the product of OHF Committee member, Heather Crago's, attention to every detail for this successful evening - from menu planning, centre pieces, programme timing, seating plans, it all came together beautifully.
The evening began with Colton Carrick ushering in the guest and host teams rousing all with the bagpipes. OHF Committee Chair, Mark McMahon MC'd the evening's programme, welcoming the evening's guests and the players, and introducing the head table. Honoured representatives were present from OMHA, NOHA, Alliance and the GTHL. Special guests included Stouffville Mayor, Wayne Emerson and local hockey legend, Keith Acton. The OHF Committee was thrilled to introduce the special guest speaker, Dr. Peter Jensen, expert in Performance Coaching, author, and sport psychologist to the Canadia Olympic teams, including the gold medal winning women's hockey team.
Dr. Jensen captivated the crowd with his animated style and rich tapestry of experience and anecdotes. Dr. Jensen spoke to these boys about their journey to this moment, drawing images and parallels that touch the athlete's soul. He spoke of preparation - physical, mental and emotional. He spoke of the criticality of focus, while staying 'loose', for too narrow a focus can impede performance in the moment. "Imagery is the language of the body," stated Dr. Jensen. To focus on our goals, we must see ourselves achieving what we want, and push away the anxiety of things that we do not want to happen. Afterall, Dr. Jensen illustrated, we don't go to the grocery store with a list of things we DON'T want to buy! To succeed in playing hockey, Dr. Jensen suggested you have to be able to "play". If you over analyze each move, this becomes work, and energy will be misplaced. As the Canadian women's hockey team was about to go out to the ice for their "BIG GAME" against the USA, Dr. Jensen shared the final few pieces of advice provided by hockey great Steve Yzerman - stay loose in your warm-up - save your energy for the game ahead. Don't get thrown off by the opponent's great plays - they are a great team and expect them to have great plays. You are a great team and you will have great plays too... Know that you are ready for this game.
Dr Jensen closed with this thought... In this moment, for our Champion teams at this tournament, all that matters is this tournament. It is everything they have prepared for in the months and years leading to this weekend, and this moment in time. With the passage of time, it doesn't really matter... it is only a game, and many other trials and events will overshadow this one. BUT, in this moment, it IS all that matters and don't you deserve to put out your best effort and do everything you are capable of doing in this moment? So why not do just that?
With this stage set, we are sure to see some inspired hockey over the course of this tournament!
With that, Brent Brown offered grace before our dinner. The food was plentiful, and both delicious and nutritious. Dessert followed shortly, and Mark concluded the evening reflecting on Dr. Jensen's words and acknowledging that each of these boys, turned young men, was already a Champion and had forever been Champions in the eyes of their loving families. In honour of this moment, and knowing this memory would last them a lifetime, Mark offered a special treat, and moments later carried in by white gloves, the Stanley Cup arrived at the head table.
The room erupted in gasps and oooh's and aaah's. A perfect end to a memorable evening, and a perfect kick-off to an amazing weekend of OHF Championship hockey at the Stouffville Arena!
Many thanks to the countless hours of organizing this Banquet and the entire OHF event to our tireless and talented OHF Committee Volunteers and to the event Sponsors!
Let the Games Begin!