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One of Canada’s longest-running and most respected minor hockey tournaments will host its final puck drop in 2026, as the Peterborough Liftlock Atom Hockey Tournament prepares to close the book on a 66-year tradition.
First launched in the 1958–59 season as a one-day event for Pee Wee players, the Liftlock Tournament evolved over the decades to become a winter institution in Peterborough. The event adopted the Atom (now U11) age category in 1974 and steadily expanded under the leadership of community figures like Neil Clark, Jack Guerin, Lloyd Hardy, Don Dorsett, and Howie Eastman.
At its peak, the tournament regularly welcomed over 100 teams from Ontario, Quebec, and the United States, offering young players a chance to compete at a high level while experiencing the camaraderie of Canadian minor hockey.
“This wasn’t just a tournament — it was part of Peterborough’s identity,” said longtime organizers, reflecting on a legacy that also included major contributions to local charities, youth programs, and capital projects such as the Evinrude Centre and the Peterborough Regional Health Centre. Proceeds from the tournament helped lower the cost of hockey for local families and supported community causes for decades. Its motto, “Not just a hockey tournament… It’s a community affair,” became a guiding principle.
NHL Stars Who Played in the Liftlock
Over the years, 87 future NHL players took part in the tournament. Some of the most notable alumni include:
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Wayne Gretzky – “The Great One” and hockey’s all-time leading scorer
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Eric Lindros – Former NHL MVP and a dominant power forward
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Bob Gainey – Stanley Cup champion and former GM of the Montreal Canadiens
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Corey Perry – Stanley Cup winner and Olympic gold medallist
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Steve Larmer – Former Chicago Blackhawks star and Iron Man of the 1980s
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John Vanbiesbrouck – NHL All-Star goaltender
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Tie Domi – One of the league’s most well-known enforcers
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Mickey Redmond – Detroit Red Wings winger and broadcaster
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Cory Stillman – Two-time Stanley Cup champion
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Mike Fisher – Longtime NHL centre and community leader
These players, and dozens more, once skated through Peterborough as aspiring Atom-level athletes — proof of the tournament’s calibre and its importance in developing future stars.
Why the Tournament Is Ending
While the 2026 edition will serve as a celebration of everything the Liftlock Tournament has meant to the city and the sport, organizers say multiple factors have led to the difficult decision to end it.
Chief among them is a decline in volunteerism. The tournament has historically relied on dozens of community members for logistics, scheduling, arena operations and hospitality. But in recent years, the challenge of finding and retaining volunteers has made the event increasingly difficult to run.
In addition, shifts in the structure of minor hockey in Ontario, including tournament regulations and scheduling pressures, have further complicated the event’s sustainability.
“The landscape has changed, and unfortunately, we no longer have the capacity to continue this the way it deserves to be done,” one organizer noted.
