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The Hartford Whalers have been a defunct NHL franchise for nearly 28 years. After three decades in Connecticut, then-owner Peter Karmanos Jr. decided to relocate the team to Raleigh, North Carolina, rebranding the team as the Carolina Hurricanes in 1997.

But, for a fleeting nine hours, the Whalers were revived Saturday at Clinton Square Ice Rink. Local hockey shop McKie Sports opened the 2025 Syracuse Pond Hockey Classic against opposing team Hard Telling Not Knowing. The squad donned custom Whalers jerseys with McKie Sports on their nameplates.

“There’s no connection to the Hartford Whalers, these guys are just extremely spoiled and need new sweaters every year,” McKie Sports vice president Shaun Norfolk joked. “Owning a hockey shop, luckily, we have the resources to do that.”

The Classic consisted of 16 teams of six players, with games played in a 3-on-3 format. Each team was guaranteed at least three games in a group stage and the winners of each group advanced to the semifinals.

Families and friends skated on a separate portion of the ice as they watched, with beer, coffee and food offered. This year, Team Energizer won the final, taking home its second championship since the Classic’s inception.

But far before Team Energizer lifted their second consecutive trophy, the Classic was just an idea lingering in Tim O’Donnell’s head. O’Donnell, the tournament director, had played hockey during his adolescence in the Strathmore neighborhood.

On drives from Strathmore to downtown Syracuse, he passed Hiawatha Lake. He began to notice that the lake was far too desolate in the wintertime. He thought it should be more active, a place where family and friends could unite and enjoy some winter fun.

His vision: a pond hockey tournament on Hiawatha Lake. Sixteen teams, smaller rinks, no goalies and a wooden goal under a foot tall with two small holes.

After his wife implored him to either act on the idea or quit talking about it, O’Donnell decided it was time to execute his vision. On Feb. 1, 2020, the first iteration of the Classic was held on the lake, with McKie Sports taking home the inaugural championship.

Throughout its first four years, the Classic faced two cancellations. O’Donnell cancelled the 2021 Classic due to the COVID-19 pandemic and in 2023, frigid temperatures forced him to cancel it again. Since the lake required significant maintenance, he made the difficult choice to move the Classic away from the lake.

“The unpredictable weather and climate, we couldn’t rely on anymore,” O’Donnell said. “Moving it downtown, we had a little bit more reliable infrastructure in place, with the ice, locker rooms and restrooms in place.”

Though the Classic might not be where O’Donnell first envisioned it, his initial mission still rings true at Clinton Square. Hundreds of people came in and out of the plaza, stopping to watch the matches and leaving once they couldn’t brave the elements. Among players and spectators, a consistent theme emerged: the Classic brought people together.

“(My favorite part is) mostly seeing a lot of faces you haven’t seen in a while,” Norfolk said. “Like my college hockey coach is here playing.”

Sid Gelperin | Video Editor

Participants in Syracuse Pond Hockey Classic skate around the rink courtesy of Tim O’Donnell’s efforts. This year, 16 teams of six players each competed for the championship.

A player on Willow Rock even took photos with his three children after winning a game against the Bearcats.

Throughout the day, the Classic served as a backdrop as participants bonded. Early on, two locals sought warmth near an outdoor heater, expressing their nervousness over the impending Bills game the next day — just one example of the countless side conversations that spawned during the tournament.

At the plaza, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications professor Seth Gitner stood next to Erik Ryan and Eric Komar, two adaptive hockey players on the CNY Flyers. Komar was born with spina bifida, a condition that renders him wheelchair-bound. But that didn’t stop him from becoming a world champion arm wrestler. His exploits took him to Poland, France, Greece and Hungary, giving him a newfound appreciation for America’s accessibility.

Komar told stories of his trips abroad, and Ryan talked about his time on the Flyers. Both players maneuver around the ice with sleds, using two smaller hockey sticks to control the puck.

The tournament attracted players of all skill levels, from novices to former collegiate players. Norfolk played hockey at Mohawk Valley Community College, while Lawn Rangers player Casey Cregg played at Le Moyne College decades ago.

By 11:30 a.m., a fire truck was parked on West Genesee Street, and a posse had formed to watch their coworkers enjoy their brief respite from fighting flames. The Syracuse Fire Department and the Parks and Recreation Department formed their own teams at the tournament.

“It was natural — we do a lot of staffing, maintenance and everything with this area — that we be a part of it too and play,” Cregg, a superintendent of Parks and Grounds Maintenance, said. “We’ve got all matters of city workers out here playing.”

Participants enjoyed the event throughout, and O’Donnell worked hard to cultivate that environment. He had spent the entire day walking around the plaza, checking to see that vendors were stocked, the tournament was running smoothly and the fire pits were freshly stoked.

But everyone needs time for themselves, and O’Donnell is no exception. By the end of the night, he made sure that he was free to sit down, have a cocktail and watch the championship match with his friends. To them, the Classic is more than a game, it’s a way of bringing people closer.

“My favorite part is the last game. Because throughout the day, I’m really busy,” O’Donnell said. “That’s the best part, and most rewarding part about this event, is just having that connection with (my friends).”

Published on January 26, 2025 at 10:36 pm

mjpalmar@syr.edu | @mpalmarSU