HMCS Hunter’s Hockey Day

The Navy hockey team from HMCS Hunter celebrates their victory with the Grapes Cup on Jan. 20 while participating in the first of what is to be an annual rivalry matchup between Navy players and Army players in Windsor-Essex county.

A/SLt Moore, HMCS Hunter ~

Navy players from HMCS Hunter and the army, featuring players from 31 Canadian Brigade Group (including Essex and Kent Scottish, Windsor Regiment, and 31 Service Battalion), played an outdoor ice hockey game Jan. 20 on the iconic Canadian day known as Hockey Day in Canada.

Team Navy quickly seized the lead and eventually went on to win the game 11 – 3 through dominant play.

Master Seaman Tyler Thomson, one of Team Navy’s organizers, said the day “went really well. We’re really happy with how it’s going. We’re happy to be able to get out on the ice, to play a friendly game, and to beat Team Army.”

This game marked the first annual matchup between the friendly rivals in Windsor Essex. The winner took home the “Grapes Cup,” so named in honour of Don Cherry (“Grapes” is Don Cherry’s nickname).

Through its history, Hockey Day in Canada has been about much more than the game of hockey – it has been about bringing the community together. This event successfully did that, bringing dozens of friends, family members, and military personnel together in a time of fun and celebration.

Master Seaman Mitchell and Master Seaman Thomson wanted that to be the focus of the match.

“Our main priority was to create a fun thing to do – something for families and friends to enjoy while getting to spend time with service members in the public,” said MS Thomson.

After the game, guests  enjoyed a public skate. It was an amazing time of strategic outreach and community involvement for the military as a whole.