Global warming melts hockey numbers in Nunavut

SEAN McKIBBON

IQALUIT — Global warming is melting away the Nunavut Territory Hockey Association’s (NTHA) registration numbers, says the minor hockey association’s chairman, Jim Ramsay.

Ramsay said that this year there are fewer than half the number of hockey players registered with the NTHA than were registered last year.

Last year at this time there were between 1,700 and 1,900 hockey players registered, but he said the numberhas dropped to only 700 or 800 this year.

“I think it’s partly to do with global warming. Because we only have artificial ice in one community some of our communities aren’t getting going until January, ” said Ramsay.

In Rankin Inlet, hockey didn’t start until the end of December, he said. Three years ago, the ice would have been ready by the end of November.

As a result, people are registering late or just before large tournaments. It’s a problem for the minor hockey association, because they could lose their branch status with the Canadian Hockey Association and be unable to send a Nunavut Team to national competitions such as the Air Canada Cup or the Western Shield.

“We’d have to join possibly Manitoba or maybe Quebec. It would be a huge step backwards. We wouldn’t be able to have any direct entries into national tournaments,” Ramsay said.

It also means a loss of revenue to the NTHA.

“It cost us $65,000 to register players this year,” said Ramsay. The money is paid through Hockey North (formerly the NWT Hockey Association) to the Canadian Hockey Association, or CHA.

The registration fee not only covers the administration of a complex system, but also pays for insurance.

Ramsay said the NTHA needs to register 1,200 players just to break even. He said the NTHA used last year’s registration figures to estimate registration for this year.

However, just because players aren’t registered doesn’t mean they aren’t playing. Last week Ramsay sent out a bulletin warning people that communities who allow unregistered hockey players to play voids the insurance that covers hockey players who have registered.

“This scary Nunavut-wide risk-taking practice must stop. All it takes is one non-registered player to make all players void,” Ramsay said in the Jan. 26 bulletin.

The problem affects all levels of hockey, from minor players to old timers, he said. He said the bulletin was prompted mostly by the low registration this year.

At the time it was issued, registration stood at only about 500 players he said.

“After we sent that out, the phone at the office was ringing off the hook,” he said.