‘Working for the Weekend’
South Ontario-based Hockey Tournament Operator Taps into
Growing Demand for Sports Tourism Experiences
Weekend Hockey Tournaments, based in Oakville, Ontario, may be located in the heart of the largest hockey market in the world, but the full-time tournament organizer has experienced explosive growth over the last several years by expanding into in some key major U.S. metropolitan areas.
Las Vegas, Fort Lauderdale, and Nashville are highly popular tourist meccas, but these cities also have something else in common: they are also home to NHL hockey franchises.
For Weekend Hockey Director James Zitmanis and his team, the potential cross-promotional opportunities were too good to pass up.
Local Sports Boost
“Sports have always been a way to bring people together and we’ve seen a pent-up demand for travel tournaments in the aftermath of the pandemic,” he explained. “Between that and the success of local NHL teams like the Nashville Predators, Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, and Tampa Bay Lightning, we saw opportunities to add value to our tournament packages by offering game tickets and other options, including skating sessions on a team’s home ice.”
The results have exceeded expectations. Weekend Hockey has been adding roughly 10 – 15 new tournaments each year, as a growing number of teams in the U.S. and Canada crave out-of-town tournament experiences.
And, with North American sports tourism in general gaining in popularity, the decision to begin organizing tournaments in regions outside more “traditional” hockey markets was an easy one.
“Let’s be honest: I’d rather spend my winters in Florida than Ontario and I’m not the only person who says that,” Zitmanis said with a laugh. “Travel teams of all ages on both sides of the border want to join tournaments that offer spirited competition with teams from other areas. The opportunity to enjoy nicer weather and a professional sporting event while in-town only adds to the allure.”
Another popular market for Weekend Hockey Tournaments has been Utica, NY, home of the AHL Utica Comets (New Jersey Devils affiliate).
Always Improving
High-level demand for Weekend Hockey events means that each of the 75 yearly tournaments it hosts is booked to full capacity, but it’s the company’s commitment to providing unforgettable experiences that keeps travel teams coming back year after year.
“This is our passion, and it has been since our founding in 2006, but we are always looking for ways to be better,” Zitmanis said, citing the hiring of professional photographers to capture important moments and social media influencers to generate online buzz as a few examples.
Bottom line: Weekend Hockey prides itself on delivering fun, competitive tournaments.
“I believe the competitive nature of our tournaments sets us apart,” Zitmanis added. “Teams tend to keep signing up with us, so we must be doing something right.”
Search for Tournaments
Visit Weekend Hockey’s page to view upcoming events.
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Travelsports is the leading aggregator of information for the youth and adult sports industry. We strive to connect, inform, and inspire the sports community by providing a one-stop destination for tournaments, clubs, facilities, insights, and resources. Our goal is to support the success and well-being of individual athletes and the vibrant sports ecosystem.
Our ‘Trending in Travelsports’ series offers a chance to highlight some of our sports partners and share their insights on emerging trends in the $42-billion North American travel sports market. These trends are creating new opportunities for businesses as well as tournament participants of all ages. Read on to learn more and, if there’s a topic you’d like us to consider covering in future posts, send us a quick note at info@travelsports.com.
