Courtesy: Buffalo Sabres Public & Community Relations Department
(Buffalo, New York) – The Buffalo Sabres and the Buffalo Sabres Alumni Association, in conjunction with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres, today announced the creation of the Buffalo Jr. Sabres 12U hockey team that will compete at the 53rd Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament from Feb. 14-24, 2013 at Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec.
The team will be created specifically to participate in the annual 11-day tournament held each February in Quebec City. The roster will be comprised of players who reside in the Western New York and Central New York regions.
Former Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rory Fitzpatrick will serve as head coach of the Buffalo Jr. Sabres 12U team. Tryouts for the team will be held in early September. Further details regarding tryouts will be released in the coming weeks.
The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament is the centerpiece of the annual Quebec City Winter Carnival, which is the third-largest outdoor festival on the planet.
The tournament, commonly referred to as the “Pee-Wee World Championship,” is the oldest and most prestigious youth hockey tournament in the world. An estimated 2,300 Pee-Wee players – ages 11 and 12 years old – travel from 16 different countries to participate in the event, which draws about 200,000 fans each year.
The event has served as an early showcase for more than 600 active and retired National Hockey League players, including Marcel Dionne, Wayne Gretzky, Mark Howe, Guy Lafleur, Mario Lemieux , Eric Lindros, Gilbert Perreault, and current Sabres Nathan Gerbe and Thomas Vanek.
