The History of Docs On Ice
Docs on Ice is an annual fundraising doctors hockey tournament that began in 1983. The tournament affirms the principles of charity, camaraderie, and sportsmanship inspired by the memory of the late hockey player and Urologist Dr. Peter Howes.
Docs on Ice is hosted by a different city each year to bring doctors together to play hockey and to give back to the community by raising money and awareness for local charity. The tournament is run by physicians and volunteers to raise money through donations, sponsorship, registration fees, and special events. It is attended by high profile celebrities, including NHL players and alumni, media personnel, and television personalities. All proceeds go directly to charity. To date, Docs on Ice has raised over $1 million dollars for charity.
Charity
Camaraderie
Sportsmanship
Original 8 Teams in 1983
Belleville
Hamilton
Niagara
Ottawa
Peterborough
Sudbury
Toronto
York Region
Current Executive Committee
The Docs on Ice Executive Committee is responsible for overseeing Docs on Ice. It manages tournament rules and regulations, disciplinary actions, and planning for future Docs on Ice events.
Its members consist of the Chairman from 2 years prior, to 2 years following the current year, in addition to previous Chairman who remain actively involved in Docs on Ice. The Chairman rotates each year, with the Chairman of the current year being the Chair of the Docs on Ice Executive Committee.
Past Chairmen still involved
David Palmer (Oakville), Chris Gannage (Newmarket), Vincent Lin (Toronto), Rick Binette (Peterborough), Pete Kujtan (Mississauga), Geoff Moran (Collingwood), and Dave Dec (Niagara Falls)
Annual Tournament Handoff
Each year the docs on ice chair and responsibilities are passed to the next city to host the tournament. The Docs on Ice website is currently managed by a web developer, Daniel Gannage. If you are an upcoming Chairman for one of the future tournaments and don't have access yet, ask for the login credentials to the site to edit/add/remove/retrieve information. Email danielgannage@gmail.com
Dr. Palmer also helps to consolidate and archive tournament information and pass the tournament along to new communities each year.
