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Welcome to the Athens 2000 page. This page will definately be a work in progress as many pictures were taken and many tales will be told as we uncover the truth of what really happened that wild and crazy week in Athens, Greece. And so it began , that dreary winter day on the 19th of February...... |
Ottawa Hellenic Community Taking Canada’s National Sport to Greece February 4, 2000 – OTTAWA – The pride of the Ottawa Greek community will be tested in a few short weeks as sixteen players, coaches and management make the 7760-kilometer journey to Athens, Greece, for the inaugural Hellenic International Invitational Hockey Tournament. Greece, not known for its international ice hockey program, will host a week long tournament, February 19-26, 2000, that will involve three teams, Hellenic Team USA based out of Boston, the Greek National Ice Hockey Team based in Athens and Hellenic Team Canada based out of Ottawa. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to promote Canada’s national sport in Greece. To many Greeks that came to Canada in the 50’s and 60’s, watching hockey on Saturday nights became a new tradition and we quickly fell in love with the game and Canada at the same time.” said Nickolas Florakas, coach of Team Hellenic Canada. Hellenic Team Canada is formed from the Greek Hockey League (GHL), which is celebrating its twenty-fifth year in existence and is an integral part of the Greek Community of Ottawa. Starting out as one team, the Greek Hockey League (GHL) has grown to support eight teams, boasting over 80 per cent of the players being of Greek origin. Taking hockey to Greece was the next logical step for the GHL. Thought up as an impossible quest, Hockey in Greece has gained considerable strength and a solid national hockey program is imminent. Jim Sourges, captain of Hellenic Team Canada and former standout player for US Division 1, Princeton University stated, “This tournament is indicative of how hockey has become a popular sport world-wide. We are hopeful that, within five years, Greece will have a strong grass-roots minor hockey program based in Athens and possibly a professional league similar to that in neighboring Italy. Hellenic Team Canada has raised money through sponsorships and fund-raising events over the past year and is gearing up for what looks to be a high caliber hockey tournament. Most players on Hellenic Team Canada and USA have played in junior leagues as well as college and are looking forward to testing their skills in Greece. --30-- Contacts: Nickolas Florakas Jim Sourges | |
