Director’s Family Honors Wish to Continue Tournament
(FLINT, Mich. – April 8, 2015) Somewhere, Bill Everett is smiling as the beloved ice hockey tournament he directed nearly three decades lives on with the help of his family.
Thirty-six teams from throughout Michigan and Canada will take the ice Friday, April 10, through Sunday, April 12, in the 30th Annual Vehicle City International Old Timers Hockey Tournament at Crystal Fieldhouse in Burton and Iceland Arena in Flint.
Everett started the tournament in 1986 with eight teams and remained the driving force behind it continuing all these years. He died in October 2014, just a few weeks before Everett’s family received the Community Champion Award on his behalf during the Flint & Genesee Chamber’s Art of Achievement Awards.
The Community Champion Award, presented by the Flint & Genesee Convention & Visitors Bureau, recognizes a local resident who has worked with the staff to bring a meeting or sporting event into Genesee County that has had the highest economic impact in terms of attendees and overnight rooms.
“The Old Timers Hockey Tournament has had enormous economic impact on this region for many years,” said Cheryl DeFrain, Director of the Flint & Genesee CVB. “We are so excited that Bill’s family is honoring his request to keep the tournament going after his death.”
This year’s tournament is directed by Annette McLeod, Everett’s daughter, who along with other family members worked by Everett’s side for many years to put on the tournament. It was Everett’s wish not only that the tournament continue, McLeod said, but that it remain nonprofit and that the proceeds be donated to Whaley Children’s Home.
Teams in the tournament include players in their 30s all the way up to their 70s. The public is invited to watch the tournament games for free at the following times and locations:
- Friday, April 10: 5-9:30 p.m. at Crystal Fieldhouse and 7-10 p.m. at Iceland Arena
- Saturday, April 11: 8 a.m.-7 p.m. at Crystal Fieldhouse and 8 a.m.-6 p.m. at Iceland Arena
- Sunday, April 12: 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at Crystal Fieldhouse and 8-9 a.m. at Iceland Arena
On Saturday, a special tribute to Everett will take place among the teams attending an after-party at the Holiday Inn Gateway in Flint.
For more information about the Vehicle City International Old Timers Hockey Tournament, contact McLeod at (810) 429-8489.