People travel to St. Ignace from across the nation every winter for this open-air take on a traditional hockey tourney. Here’s how you can join in on the fun, plus 3 ways to round out your weekend.
This article first appeared in Traverse Northern Michigan. Find this story and more when you explore our magazine library. Want Traverse delivered to your door or inbox monthly? View our print subscription and digital subscription options.
Picture this: 176 teams, four players apiece, gather on a frozen stretch of Lake Huron. On clear days, Mackinac Island looms across the bay, disappearing bit by bit when the wind starts to whistle. Ferry boats, docked for the winter, border the rinks; downtown St. Ignace’s snug restaurants and hotels wait warm and welcoming a couple hundred feet away, ready with a hot toddy at day’s end. Yeah, it’s pretty epic.
Each February (this year, Feb. 15–18), the Labatt Blue Pond Hockey Championship draws competitors from our neighbors in Wisconsin, Ohio and Canada, as far away as Florida and Texas, and, farther across the pond, Czechia. Some have been coming for more than a decade. “It reminds me of my childhood,” says Event Manager Bridgett Sorenson. “Shoveling off a pond, lacing up and seeing your breath on a clear, crisp day.”
Photo by Jim Hopper
The championship started back in 2007 with 24 teams and has since grown to an average of 150 each year. Over the three-day event, which is a fundraiser for the St. Ignace Youth Hockey Association, about 300 games of pond hockey—a simplified version of traditional ice hockey, played on frozen natural bodies of water—take place on Moran Bay with matches that pit teams like Goon’s Pals vs. Chilidawgs and Weekend Parolees vs. Anonymoose. The atmosphere is jolly for spectators, too: a big heated tent, live music, a bar, free admission. (Bring folding chairs to set up alongside the rinks.)
“If you like winter and Northern Michigan, this is a must-see,” Sorenson says. “The bay is beautiful and full of laughs.”
Photo by Jim Hopper
3 Ways to Round Out Your Weekend in St. Ignace
- Take a Hike | Straits State Park has fantastic views of the Mackinac Bridge. The North Country Trail passes through, a portion of which travels along the park’s one-mile hiking trail.
- Grab a Bite | The Village Inn is known for its whitefish—a filet baked on a maple plank with sautéed vegetables and a Parmesan-crusted tomato crown bordered with duchess potatoes.
- Spend the Night | The Driftwood Motel is especially cozy during a February snowstorm—the rustic interior boasts an excellent heater to combat the chill coming off Moran Bay directly across the street. The onsite restaurant and sports bar has all the necessities: cheese curds, pasties with gravy, pints of Two Hearted.
Head to the St. Ignace website to plan your weekend.
