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THE OLDEST TOURNAMENT IN THE EASTERN TOWNSHIPS!
The Mousquiri tournament is the oldest M11 (atom) tournament in the province, and the “oldest” field hockey tournament of any category in the Eastern Townships. Throughout its 58-year history, the Mousquiri tournament has always welcomed players between the ages of 9 and 11. In short, it has always kept the same category, and only the name has changed, whereas in the early days it was known as the Mosquito Tournament.
The Richmond Mousquiri M11 National Tournament was created during the 1963-64 season and will be held for the 58th time from February 6 to February 19, 2023. A group of volunteers from the Richmond Sports Association were responsible for organizing the first regional mosquito tournament, held in March 1964 and attended by 13 teams.
Volunteers included Roger Martel, Paul-Emile Lefebvre, Albert Dunn and Jean Dion, as well as Oscar Thibault, Lloyd Tibbits, Charles Gendreau, Arthur St-Sauveur, Jean Beaudoin and Gérard “Ti-Noir” Martel.
The tournament was set up to prepare the region’s teams for competition at the Quebec International Pee-Wee Tournament, since tournaments didn’t exist back then, apart from the one in the Old Capital. Little did the tournament’s founders know that the Mousquiri tournament as we know it today would, over time, become one of the most enduring in Quebec! |
| The tournament was to be accredited as a provincial mosquito tournament in 1970. A major turning point came in 1975, when the Richmond Mosquito Tournament became the Mousquiri Tournament. At the same time, it became the first tournament in Quebec to adopt a mascot, with the aim of enhancing the human side of this competition, which has always welcomed youngsters aged 9 to 11.
This initiative was the brainchild of two of the tournament’s great builders, René Thibault and Gilles Fontaine. They were responsible for many fine achievements during their years as volunteers, as were many other volunteers who succeeded each other on the boards of directors over the years. |
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Then, in 1986, the tournament received national status, enabling it to welcome teams from outside Quebec, including several from Ontario and the USA. Since then, the organizing committee has always welcomed teams from outside Quebec, especially from the USA, including some from Michigan, Wisconsin, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire and even California!
Since the tournament began in 1964, a grand total of 3967 matches have been held at the Richmond arena. More than 2,525 teams have participated in the tournament, including a record 80 in 1982. Over the years, it has also welcomed over 20,000 young players, many of whom went on to become stars in the professional ranks. |
| Just think of Sylvain Lefebvre, Marc Fortier, Sean McKenna, Gilles Hamel, Yannick Perreault and Alan Haworth, as well as Vincent Damphousse, Luc Robitaille, Patrice Brisebois, Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy, Félix Potvin, Stéphane Robidas and Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Patrice Bergeron, Marc-André Fleury, Antoine Vermette, Pascal Dupuis, Mathieu Perreault, David Perron, Sarah Vaillancourt and many others, including our last two, Anthony Beauvillier and Philipe Danault, who competed for the first time on Richmond ice.
Finally, I’d like to mention that the tournament’s success over the decades is due in large part to the work of its volunteers, the ongoing financial support of its sponsors, the participating teams and the support of the people of Richmond and surrounding municipalities. A big THANK YOU to everyone for their encouragement over the years. |
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