Hockey for Hospice is coming back to Windsor-Essex.
The organization has announced it will host the annual hockey tournament on Dec. 27, 28 and 29.
The tournament was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This will be the 25th anniversary for the event that raises money to support Hospice of Windsor and Essex County.
In 2019, 164 teams and over 2,000 kids took part in the tournament but event co-chair Paul Pietraszko says they're not sure how many they'll have this year.
"We're a little nervous that it might be less this year just because of the pandemic," says Pietraszko. "So far, the enthusiasm seems to be there. It's also been over a year since kids were able to play hockey, so there might be some added incentive for kids to come play as much as they can."
He says a few teams have already registered.
"I actually talked to a coach from Strathroy, we've got an out of town team coming and he's looking forward to it," he says. "In fact, he's trying to get two teams brought down."
Pietraszko says this is all about raising money for Hospice.
"Let's face it with the pandemic, fundraising for everyone has been cut short," says Pietraszko. "We want to get back into that groove and get the money in. Plus with it being 25th {anniversary}, we want to make it a banner year."
The arenas in LaSalle, Lakeshore, Tecumseh and Amhestburg have committed to hosting some of the games.
In 2019, the tournament raised over $372,000 for Hospice of Windsor and Essex County.
Since it began 25 years ago, teams involved in the event have raised close to $3.7-million.
- with files from AM800's Rob Hindi