Every February, a Tiny New Brunswick Town Puts on a World Class Hockey Event
Who in Canada didn’t grow up playing hockey? Maybe you dreamed of making it to the competitive level? For a few days every February, that dream is within reach, if you can make your way to the village of Plaster Rock, New Brunswick. Every winter, this quintessentially Canadian small town, about two hours north of Fredericton, hosts the World Pond Hockey championships, a frozen lake tournament that brings amateur players from all over the world.
Twenty-four rinks, each about 23 x 36 metres large, are created, lined up side-by-side across frozen Roulston Lake. (From afar, the rectangular rinks look something like the salt flats of Chile.) Over the course of four days, 120 teams will play over 400 games. The tournament comprises both men’s and women’s teams, and there are no age restrictions.
The games are four on four, no goalies, with nets under two metres wide and 25 centimetres high. The games go on all day, from crispy morning to snowy afternoon to inky blue star filled evenings. Every team is guaranteed at least five 30-minute games.
This is hockey like we played as kids, outdoors on frozen lakes. There’s no denying the nostalgia element. But even if you’re a total stranger to the game, you can’t help but soak up the atmosphere. The camaraderie here is one of the draws.
A team of 200 volunteers—the same ones who build the rinks each year with borders made from packed snow (leaving enough snow to keep cans of beer placed by the players next to the rink chilled)—maintain the rinks throughout the games. Crucially, they ensure that ice on the pond is at least 12 to 14 inches thick. (The town scheduled the event for February, betting that by the time the coldest month of the year comes around, that will be the case). Forty teams can play simultaneously, streaking across the white ice in colourful jerseys: the overall effect is mesmerizing. It looks like a winter landscape by the 17th century Dutch painter Hendrick Avercamp, who was known for town skating scenes.
Teams come from across Canada, the US and countries such as Czechia, the United Arab Emirates and The Cayman Islands (the latter is made up of expat Canadians who became snowbirds to escape the winter and now look forward to their trip back home for the tournament). Some aspiring participants don’t have a ready-made team, so they reach out to organizers who try to match them with other aspirant players.
The tournament was created in 2002 by a group of locals including Danny Braun who acts as chief organizer today. It started as a fundraising initiative to build an indoor rink for local kids to play on. The first year, 40 teams participated, and it’s grown every year since, now reaching the maximum the town’s infrastructure can handle. (The town has a population of 2,000, but mushrooms to over 5,000 during the games.)
At the opening ceremony, local kids welcome the players on the frozen lake and the teams come out waving their flags. Locals and visiting fans cheer them on. After an impressive firework display, the first of the nightly parties begins. Despite the grueling schedule where a team could play five games in one day, players rarely pass on the partying—you come to understand it’s as important as the tournaments themselves. Egos may have been battered on the ice, but in the evening, over cold beers, there’s nothing but conviviality and dancing—in toques and parkas, of course. Many deep friendships have formed over the years.
Some of the team names attest to that conviviality: Over the years, they’ve included the Montreal Lagers, The Bud Lite Lushes, The Budweiser Healthy Scratches from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and the Kraken Cold Ones from Wasaga Beach, Ontario. Other names put a smile on your face: The Dubai Real Estate, Les Boys from Tracadie, Quebec and the Pond Scum from Pickering, Ontario. The ladies division includes Net Chicks and Chill from Fredericton and local team the Bras (who won the women’s games in 2025).
There are no referees, no penalties and no slapshots. Volunteers act as scorekeepers and game monitors and report game outcomes to a central system that tracks the overall tournament standings and playoff seeding. Head volunteer officials act as arbiters in case of discrepancy. With all skill levels accepted, the games can be lopsided at least at the beginning. But as the tournament goes on, there can be some pretty exciting hockey.
The games were only cancelled once because of warmish weather. Even then, many of the teams showed up, knowing they probably wouldn’t play (but came for a happy annual reunion).
When the tournament is over, the pavilion is dismantled, flags are put away, local kids hunt for hockey pucks and everyone waits for next February.
If You Go:
The next World Pond Hockey Championships will take place in Plaster Rock, New Brunswick from February 19-22, 2026. For more information: Click here.
The closest airport to fly into is Fredericton, and then it’s just over a two-hour drive via Trans-Canada Hwy/NB-2 W. It’s highly advised to book accommodations in advance as the town and surrounding areas have limited capacity. A list of accommodations including hotels, B and B’s, inns and residents who rent out rooms, is available on the Game’s website.
