Different direction for Return of the Robin hockey event

3/30/2007 9:55:40 AM

By Jason Feldman

The Post-Bulletin 

Four Rochester hockey nuts have a big vision for a popular amateur tournament.

"We want to get it to the point where it's nationally known," Brett Landon said.

Landon, Jim McPeak, Jay Sathers and Myron Salz have taken the controls of the Return of the Robin hockey tournament from long-time organizer Norm Fitch. The new group has expanded the tournament from 32 to 40 teams, with 38 on a waiting list only because there's no more ice time to be had in the area this weekend.

The 25th annual ROTR begins tonight with games running from 7:45 p.m. until about 10:30 p.m. The tournament continues through Sunday with games being played at both of the rinks at the Rochester-Olmsted Recreation Center, Graham Arena North and the Four Seasons Arena in Kasson.

Games will run from 5 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Friday and 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday.

Sunday's championship games will be held at the Rec Center beginning at 7:30 a.m. The 30-and-over Division I championship will be played at 11 a.m., followed by the Open Division II at 12:30 p.m. and the Open Division I title game at 2 p.m.

The 40 teams -- coming from Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Nebraska -- will compete in seven divisions, including the "fossils" division, which includes a handful of teams that participated in the inaugural Return of the Robin tournament.

The ROTR is a no-checking, no-slap shot tournament that has traditionally brought out some big names. In 1990 a group of players from the 1980 Miracle On Ice U.S. Olympic team, including Rochester Mayo graduate Eric Strobel, played in the ROTR.

Landon, who played youth hockey in Rochester and high school hockey for Lourdes, said he hasn't sorted through all of the rosters for this year's tournament, but "there is always a bunch of big names playing. We'll have several Division I skaters and a lot of Junior skaters, and some ex-pros who have played in Europe."

The new organizers want to make this an ever more fan-friendly tournament. There is no admission to watch the games, and a couple of events have been added that are open to the public:

• An all-you-can eat walleye fry will be held Saturday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. in the parking lot of the Rec Center. It is $10 per plate.

• A tournament banquet will be held Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Grand Ballroom in the Ramada Inn.