Welcome from our President
March 25, 2024
Welcome Players, Coaches and Fans:
The Richmond Ice Center is situated on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ speaking peoples, good stewards of this land for countless generations. We appreciate the opportunity to live, learn and play on this territory.
On behalf of the Richmond Ravens Female Hockey Association, I extend a warm welcome to all of you. It is a pleasure to host our largest Ice Classic Hockey Tournament ever, on its 26th anniversary!
The objective of the Ice Classic Hockey Tournament is to foster the development of female recreation ice hockey by bringing together teams from across North America. We are especially proud that every game in our female tournament will be officiated by female referees this year.
We are honoured to host our biggest tournament ever with approximately 1700 participants and 104 teams: 8 teams at U7; 27 teams at U9; 22 teams at U11; 18 teams at U13; 12 teams at U15; 11 teams at U18 and 6 teams at U21.
Thank you to all the teams who have returned to compete in our tournament.
We are confident that everyone will enjoy their tournament games, along with the hospitality of Richmond Ravens Female Hockey Association and the many attractions and opportunities that the City of Richmond has to offer.
Thank you to the parent volunteers from our association who will be scorekeeping, timekeeping, running the tournament desk and performing other duties that are crucial to making the tournament a success.
Special thanks to Tournament Director Mark Kusec, along with Lolly Gagnon, Tina O’Connor, Gina Mahil, Taji Grguric, Rob Araki, and Ray Estrella for their extra help to organize the tournament.
On behalf of the Richmond Ravens Female Hockey Association, I wish you all a wonderful weekend.
Sincerely,
Donald Gillanders, President
Richmond Ravens Female Hockey Association
About the Logo: Remembering Danielle Mei Cabana
On November 26, 2022, the Richmond Ravens Association were in disbelief with the news of the passing of our beloved fellow Raven, Danielle (Dani) Mei Cabana (October 3, 2016 - November 26, 2022). Dani was a member of our U7 crew, a well-known and bright light around the Richmond Ice Center. Dani’s loss was felt deeply within the Ravens Association, the hockey community and throughout Richmond.
In 2022, the Richmond Ravens Female Hockey Association made a movement to remember our teammate and friend, Danielle Mei Cabana through our annual Richmond Ice Classic Tournament.
In 2023, the Richmond Ice Classic Tournament was dedicated to Danielle Mei Cabana.
As we continue this transition, we wanted to share with everyone our new logo.
Danielle’s favourite colour was purple, and it was only fitting that this logo was created around this colour.
The camoflauge pattern symbolizes her love for outdoor adventures. Many associations across the province participated in a tribute to Danielle by using camoflauge hockey tape on their sticks.
And lastly, even from the age of 4, Danielle was known as a fierce athlete that played with heart. She loved competition and she loved the game of hockey. This trait inspired our tournament coordinators to award each MVP player of the game to those who demonstrated excellence of integrity throughout the game.
The Game MVP Medals
Every year, the MVP Player of the Game traditionally recognized the player that demonstrated excellence on the ice.
In 2024, the Game MVP accolade will stand for something more.
Even at the age of 4, Danielle was a fierce athlete that played with heart. She had a willingness to learn the game, which she picked up quickly. She also learned to be competitive as she was the third of 3 siblings that all played hockey.
On top of that, she learned to be a leader as she was adored by her fellow teammates and coaches. She became a role model to the new Ravens just getting started in the game of hockey.
The new Game MVP award will commemorate Danielle’s legacy in hockey. Whether it is to award an athlete’s excellence on the ice, demonstrating leadership towards their teammates, or upholding the game’s integrity through sportsmanship, the Game MVP will be awarding our athletes that display what we remember the most about our friend, Danielle Mei Cabana.
Enjoy the tournament!
