Chiclets Game Notes Parents' Guide To The Quebec PeeWee Tournament
On the latest Chiclets Game Notes, Army let us know he is back on the bus and headed north to Quebec City Feb 10-17 for the Quebec Pee Wee International Tournament. If you are a youth hockey parent and player but have never heard of this tournament, it is the biggest youth hockey tournament in the world and the game's greatest players have all played in it. LaFleur, Gretzky, Lemieux, Matthews, McDavid, and of course our own Ryan Whitney famously won the tournament in 1997.
The games were always held in The Colisée, home of the Quebec Nordiques, and now are held in the new Videotron Center that seats 18,259. Games will be sold out and 13-year-old kids will be harassed around town for autographs and pictures.
Army is antsy because the players are housed with billet families in Quebec, which means there is plenty of free time for the parents to enjoy everything the city has to offer. I played in the tournament in 1993 losing to the legendary Toronto Red Wings in the final, but I know these tips will still help the parents navigate the tournament correctly.
1. Learn some French - It’s a long trip to Quebec City, so it's a perfect time to work on adding a few French words to your and your kid’s vocabulary to impress their billet families. This will help you get better service around town but keep it simple. In my days, we listened to French cassettes on the car ride up, but now there are unreal apps (no free ads) that will get you on your way. Merci!
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2. No Fries or Hot Dogs til Quebec - Poutine people Poutine, if you have never had this Canadien delicacy… Wow, you are missing out. The French Canadians do it the best! When I played, The Colisée had not only the best poutine but the best hot dogs I’ve ever had that were served on the legendary pressed bun. You will eat so much of this during the week to make sure you are ready to go before the trip. The dogs are so good we may need to send Frank the Tank north for an episode of Raw Dogging.
3. We’ve made it to Quebec - Now and it’s time to get serious, as soon as possible get downtown and grab one of these walking sticks!!
The snowman’s name on the top is Bonhomme and he is the official mascot for the Winter Carnival, one of these is a must. “C’mon Murls! we’re not that old we can walk around town without a stick”, no no the key is the top pops off and you fill it with booze. The booze of choice in Quebec this week will be Caribou, a warm wine and booze mix that is served warm around the streets.
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4. It’s Game Time - So the first tip is to get to the arena early for your kid’s games, like real early. No “let's have one more at the bar then head over there is plenty of time” will not work. My mom missed half of the first period of one of my games because the Little Nordiques were playing the Little Canadiens in front of a complete sellout and they were not letting anyone into the building until a certain number of them had left.
5. Take the kids to Village Vacances Valcartier on an off day - Of course, playing in front of 16,000 people at 13 years old was cool but my favorite memory from the 10 days in Quebec was the trip to the ski mountain to go tubing. Back in 1993, there was nothing like this in the US and to be pulled up on a toe lift and then tube down these mountains with your 15 buddies and their parents all day long was really something. I remember they had a daredevil drop one as u see at a waterslide park that was ridiculous.
These 5 easy tips will get your trip started and most importantly no screaming at the refs or fighting in the stands, let the kids have fun and make sure your family enjoys an experience of a lifetime.
Everybody Rides!!!
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