Snoopy's Senior World Hockey Tournament
Encyclopedia
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
tournament held every summer at Redwood Empire Ice Arena
Redwood Empire Ice Arena
The Redwood Empire Ice Arena is a popular northern California indoor ice rink located in Santa Rosa, California, United States. It was owned by Peanuts cartoonist Charles M. Schulz when it opened on April 28, 1969. The Arena offers public skating, private ice time, figure skating, junior hockey,...
in Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...
. Charles M. Schulz
Charles M. Schulz
Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz was an American cartoonist, whose comic strip Peanuts proved one of the most popular and influential in the history of the medium, and is still widely reprinted on a daily basis.-Early life and education:Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Schulz grew up in Saint Paul...
, creator of the comic strip Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
and owner of the arena, started the tournament in 1975.
Tournament structure
The entire tournament consists of over 60 teams split up into many different divisions. The teams are divided up by age group: 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, and 75. A player is able to play in a younger division but not an older one. For example, a 50-year-old forwardForward (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, a forward is a player position on the ice whose primary responsibility is to score goals. Generally, the forwards try to stay in three different lanes, also known as thirds, of the ice going from goal to goal. It is not mandatory however, to stay in a lane. Staying in a lane aids in...
can play in either the 40-, 45- or 50-year-old division, but he is not eligible to play in the 55 or higher. Goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
s are the only exception to this rule. They can be 10 years younger than the requirement for a division, but have to be at least 40 years of age.
The teams in each division play a round-robin
Round-robin tournament
A round-robin tournament is a competition "in which each contestant meets all other contestants in turn".-Terminology:...
series, playing each other only once. Gold, Silver and Bronze medals are awarded for the winners in each division.
Countries represented
Teams from all over the world participate in the tournament. United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
have all been represented in past years. In the 36th Annual tournament in 2011, there were teams from 12 different states within the U.S., British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
and Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
in Canada, and a team from Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.
Ex-pros and celebrities
Schulz played in the tournament every year up until his death. He was a member of the Diamond Icers team that played their final game in the 75-year-old division. His son Monte Schulz also plays in the tournament.The Snoopy Tournament has also attracted the attention of some retired pro National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
players as well as some celebrities. Some of the former NHLers who have played in the tournament are Red Berenson, Ernie Hicke
Ernie Hicke
Ernest Allan "Bubble" Hicke is a retired Canadian ice hockey forward.Hicke started his National Hockey League career with the Oakland Seals in 1970. He also played for the Atlanta Flames, New York Islanders, Minnesota North Stars and Los Angeles Kings. He left the NHL after the 1978 season...
, Terry Harper
Terry Harper
Terrance Victor Harper is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Harper played in the National Hockey League from 1962 to 1981. During this time, he played for the Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Red Wings, and Montreal Canadiens.For the fictional Terrance...
, and Mel Bridgman
Mel Bridgman
Melvin John Bridgman is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League from 1975–76 until 1988–89....
, as well as the current Assistant Coach for the Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
, Jamie Kompon. Another notable participant in the tournament is television producer David E. Kelley
David E. Kelley
David Edward Kelley is an American television writer and producer, known as the creator of Picket Fences, Chicago Hope, The Practice, Ally McBeal, Boston Public, Boston Legal and Harry's Law, as well as several films. Kelley is one of the only screenwriters to have had a show created by him run on...
, creator of The Practice
The Practice
The Practice is an American legal drama created by David E. Kelley centering on the partners and associates at a Boston law firm. Running for eight seasons from 1997 to 2004, the show won the Emmy in 1998 and 1999 for Best Drama Series, and spawned the successful and lighter spin-off series Boston...
and Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia...
.
Tournament dates
The next tournament will be held July 7-14, 2012.2011's tournament was held July 9-16 of that same year.