Up My Hockey 68 on the ice at Kal Tire Place North

Jun 14, 2024 | 7:30 AM

A former pro hockey player is getting local sports fans excited about a tournament in Vernon this weekend.

The second annual Up My Hockey 68, will see games at Kal Tire Place North Friday to Sunday.

“Up My Hockey is my brand, and the 68 represents the number of players that have come from all over the province to be here,” Podollan, a former NHL forward, told Beach Radio/Vernon Matters in an interview.

The top 2010-born players in B.C. — including some local players — will be taking part in on- and off-ice sessions.

There are four games Friday, four on Saturday and then the championship will be on Sunday.

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“We’ve got the YouTube live-stream going on. We have play-by-play announcers, we’ve got a public address announcer. We’re doing it up right for these guys who are all fantastic, amazing players.”

Podollan said a lot of the players taking part will see their names called at the 2025 Western Hockey League Draft.

Otis Jacques, Wade Lightfoot, Gunner Podollan and Alex Sharman and Lucas Sievert are locals expected to suit up.

Podollan said the event also helps the young players off the ice.

“That’s something that Up My Hockey is really about — the development of the person along with the athlete,” he explained.

Podollan, a father of three boys who play hockey, said this is a way that he felt he could give back to the game that has given him so much.

For more info, visit the Up My Hockey website.

by Pete McIntyre

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