Goderich Lions Young Canada Week tournament first began during the spring break in 1950 and the Lions Club now looks forward to hosting its
67th tournament beginning March 11th, 2016. In its first year, the tournament was a one day affair with 12 teams entered. Over the years it has expanded to where we now maintain a normal complement of 48 teams, comprising of all divisions from B to AE.
In 2004 the Town of Goderich opened the Maitland Recreation Centre with an NHL size rink, swimming pool, track and Gym. With this second ice surface, we were able to expand the tournament to include a girls C division.
| 1950 |
Marks the first ever Young Canada week. The Lucknow Flax Flyers won the 12 team tournament. |
| 1951 |
YCW grew to 26 teams. It took 6 days to play and had 3 divisions. Goderich won the B division title. |
| 1954 |
Saw the first out of province team come from Quebec and Manitoba. As well 10,000 hockey fans saw the 48 team tournament. |
| 1960 |
Saw 86 teams involving over 2,000 players, coaches and Managers. |
| 1964 |
YCW cuts off entries at 87. There was no way they could squeeze more teams in. |
| 1965 |
Saw the 1,000th game played when St Thomas played St. Lambert, Que. |
| 1967 |
100 TEAMS FOR 100 YEARS was the format for YCW during Canada's Centennial year. YCW Featured 100 teams including a team from Pasadena, California. This 9 day tournament saw 16,000 in attendance, a 20 per cent increase from the previous year. |
| 1973 |
12-year-old Wayne Gretzky participated in YCW, scoring his 100th and 101st goals on the season in a game against Port Huron, Michigan. |
| 1974 |
SILVER ANNIVERSARY - Lions club committee met for almost a year to plan special events and a reception to open the tournament. |
| 1977 |
27 years after the first game the puck is dropped for the 2000th game in the newly renovated Goderich Memorial arena. |
| 1983 |
After being eliminated in the second round of the 'B' division, the Goderich peewees entered the 'A' division and won. |
| 1986 |
Bad weather delayed the 1986 tournament. Lions club members scrambled to reorganize. |
| 1993 |
Two teams backed out of the AAA division forcing YCW to cancel the entire division. |
| 1996 |
Goderich ends 16 year drought by winning the 'B' division with a 6-2 win over Walkerton. |
| 1999 |
Saw the 50th installment of Young Canada Week. Half a century of great Pee Wee hockey. |
| 2004 |
Girls Division added to YCW for the first time. This was the first year YCW played games in the new Maitland Recreation Center as well as the Goderich Memorial arena. |
| 2005 |
Local League boys division was added for the first time. |
| 2009 |
The 60th Anniversary of Young Canada Week. 26 members of original 1950 tournament participants attended opening ceremonies. A Division dropped this year due to lack of entries - 48 teams participated, down from previous year. |