NATIONAL BALL HOCKEY
ASSOCIATION OF CANADA

The National Ball Hockey Association of Canada is hosting a Selection Camp for the Men’s O35 Masters (born in 1987 or earlier) team on Saturday, October 23 at Childrens Arena in Oshawa.

For the 2021 camp registration form, please click here and submit it to the National Ball Hockey Association of Canada (NBHAC) no later than October 8, 2021 

The Masters team will be attending the 2022 World Ball Hockey Federation Masters Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia the week of June 19 to June 25

#LetsGo 

#WeAreTeamCanada

#BeTheStandard

The National Ball Hockey Association of Canada is hosting a Selection Camp for the Women’s O35 Masters (born in 1987 or earlier) team on Saturday, October 23 at Childrens Arena in Oshawa.

For the 2021 camp registration form, please click here and submit it to the National Ball Hockey Association of Canada (NBHAC) no later than October 8, 2021 

The Masters team will be attending the 2022 World Ball Hockey Federation Masters Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia the week of June 19 to June 25

#LetsGo 

#WeAreTeamCanada

#BeTheStandard

The National Ball Hockey Association of Canada is hosting a Selection Camp for the Boys U18 team on Saturday, October 23 at Childrens Arena in Oshawa.

For the 2021 camp registration form, please click here and submit it to the National Ball Hockey Association of Canada (NBHAC) no later than October 8, 2021  

The Junior teams will be attending the 2022 World Ball Hockey Federation Junior Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia the week of June 27 to July 3

#LetsGo 

#WeAreTeamCanada

#BeTheStandard

The National Ball Hockey Association of Canada is hosting the 2021 World Ball Hockey Federation Masters Elite Championships October 15-17 in St Catherines at the Haig Bowl.

We are honored to have partnered with LEGEND Ball Hockey gear and there equipment will be on site for all the players and spectators.

For the championships, LEGEND is offering Player of the Game caps for both teams and selected members of Tournament All Star teams will receive LEGEND Hoodies and Watches!

#WherePlayersPlay
#LEGENDSAreMade
#WeAreBallHockey 
#BeTheStandard

About Legend Ball Hockey

The LEGEND brand was born following an alliance of the greatest ambassadors and visionaries of dekhockey in Quebec.  Led by its president Alexandre Burrows, the Legend team already stands out for its constant involvement in major events both in Quebec and internationally!

Designed by gamers, every detail of the range of LEGEND equipment is designed to improve your comfort and performance.  Dreamers and ambitious, our team gives itself the mandate to take our sport to another level;  the highest level!

A team of enthusiasts, 100% dedicated, with a common goal: the evolution of our sport!

Anything is possible, you just have to believe it.  Become a LEGEND!

Visit the website for information on all the gear 

https://www.legendsport.ca/

Our goal is to build a program that is recognized as the best in world.  We have a reputation for excellence in our sport coupled with a strong sense of community, which fosters growth.  We will prepare and assemble a Team of Junior Ball Hockey Players from Canada to compete for Gold Medal at the WJC’s.

The goals is to field a team that sets extra-ordinary standards for competitiveness, sportsmanship and team continuity.  To create a “life experience” for members of JTC team and staff. 

Athletic activities are an important part of our youth’s life experiences and this is reflected in our long tradition of achievement in inter-provincial competition.   We are seeking an outstanding individuals including, general managers, coaches, team doctor, therapist and equipment manager to be a part of our Junior Team Canada program for each of our teams, U14, U16 and Girls U18.

The National Ball Hockey Association of Canada has earned a reputation for excellence - in the quality of its players and community leaders and in the long tradition of athletic achievement.  We are currently seeking a qualified candidate’s for the following contracts in preparation for the 2022 World Junior Championships.

Click here for Junior Team Canada Staff Job Descriptions & Deadlines

Get your NBHAC Team Canada Sublimated Hoodie! 

They are available in Black, White and Red and you can choose JTC, MTC or WTC front logo.   All hoodies will have the NBHAC logo on the left sleeve and Alternate C Ball Hockey logo on the right sleeve 

NBHAC is taking orders until May 31 so print off the form and email it directly to the NBHAC directly and payment information will be sent out June 1

Click here for the order form 

Thank you

25^th Anniversary of International Ball Hockey - How Far Has The Game Come?

Bruce Huff (Toronto Star June 5, 1996) wrote, “Ball Hockey.  On the street, in the gym on the arena floors, it is simply a slice of Canadiana”

The Ontario Ball Hockey Association (OBHA) gave the game legitimacy in 1974….thousands of male and female players from youth through adult, recreational and elite, take part at an arena near you.

Ball Hockey, once equated as a whimsical, unstructured game played by neighbourhood kids on local street and schoolyard parking lots with a tennis ball and a snow pile for nets, made sports history in 1996 as Canada was crowned World Champions at the inaugural global tournament held in Bratislava, Slovakia.  Twenty-four of the best players in the country including 10 from Ontario travelled to the first World Championships testimony to the growth of the sport globally”.

This June will mark the 25^th anniversary of that triumphant victory by Team Canada and the day the ball hockey community changed forever.  

Before we visit the historic event we look back to the start of international ball hockey and the decade of the nineties which was indeed the dawn of a new era in sport as the transition in ball hockey from the 'crazy eighties' to the transition years of the nineties was beginning to unfold. The OBHA inducted it's founding fathers into the Hall of Fame in 1990. Enshrined were Mssrs. Ken White, John Forrest, Paul Coulter and Mike Bernard respectively.

The game itself began to take on a new perspective. It was moving towards speed, finesse and a tenacious fore-checking style of play that wore down the bigger, more physical and less mobile opponents.  The game was garnering a new attitude and experiencing a changing of the guard.

In that same year, the OBHA opened its doors and invited their European counter parts in for the very first time as they played host to the Slovaks and Czechs in the annual Can-Am Tournament in Oshawa, Ontario. The event, spearheaded by then president Pat McEvoy and unbeknownst to many, would provide the foundation for the development of international relationships that would involve the participation of many more countries on a much larger scale of competition in the future. The best was yet to come.

Domenic Di Gironimo (OBHA Board member at the time) along with European counterparts were instrumental in the formation of the world body and making the inaugural World Championships happen.   For Canada, they didn’t have time to scout and the Montreal Storm 14 and Fernview Rangers 10 players would form the first team from Canada in the first global tournament where they defeated the Czech Republic 5-2 in the gold medal game.

The team set off on their history making voyage with heightened anticipation and a 16-hour travel itinerary awaiting the team.  All this only to find unseasonal temperature reaching 30C and no relief of air conditioning in either the travel bus or the hotel, the initial excitement of the trip quickly began to dissipate.   Even the services provided by the postwar hotel were inadequate and limited at best.   The basic amenities usually taken for granted were simply noy available.  This was not Canada!

Canada survived the preliminary round competition relatively unscathed by displaying the grit and determination of the Canadian game throughout the tournament, despite having to deal with the adversity of the lengthy travel schedule, time change, unfamiliar surroundings, vey humid conditions and often enough the politics of sports that often accompany such international events.

The team did their best to continue enduring the almost constant flow of seemingly unending challenges.  With opposing ideologies on how the game should be played and officiated, to the type of ball that should be used, all while trying to decipher no less than five different languages, none of which were remotely their own, the team did their best to comply.   Everyone finally did agree about one thing though, it was time to “Let the games begin”.

The more collegial and resurgent ball hockey brain trust gathered to reboot and restructure the sport for the new millennium.  Since than as a result, the game has experienced unbridled growth and development at the local, intra-provincial, national and international level of competition.

Participation in the minor, junior, men’s and women’s championship tournaments is at an all time high.  Players continue to play with their friends and on teams in their community leagues and beyond.   They are welcomed to compete in Provincial Championships and in 2021 will be the 47^th in Ontario as the OBHA is the longest running association in the world!  More teams are represented intra-provincial and in the United States ad at the Canada Cup than ever before, as a result of the communal efforts of the membership, the opportunity to play for Canada is no longer a dream, but a reality for more and more ball hockey lovers.

Zimny Stadion in its natural splendor created more of a spine-tingling sensation for the players as crowds amassed early outside the arena in anticipation of Team Canada’s arrival for their first game.   Hockey is large in eastern Europe.   Any kind of hockey, especially for the kids.   They came in packs looking for autographs, sticks, shirts, or anything they can get their hands on, especially if it was Canadian.   The players were honoured and seemingly humbled by the attention as they got off the bus and headed to the ‘Players Only’ entrance, obligingly scribing their names on as many tournament programs that were thrust in their face from excited fans as the coaches proceeded to hand out souvenirs (flags, pins, t-shirts, hats….) to as many kids, security guards and administrative staff around the rink as their supplies would allow.

The team practiced together only twice before the tournament, but they pulled together at the right time.  The tournament was a huge success, and the host committee in Bratislava did a good job.  The crowds were incredible and the hospitality that the players received was very nice.  It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to play in a tournament of this magnitude, and all who were involved with Team Canada will remember this for a long time.  The team was captained by Mario Moroni and shared a positive socio-cultural and athletic experience in the quaint, former communist city of Bratislava where the Canucks became Slovakian fan favorites on and off the playing surface as the world gained an appreciation of the Canadian game and its people. 

Team Canada defeated Austria 16-0 in their first game.   The next few games proved to be a but more challenging.   Canada then tied Slovakia 5-5 and lost to the Czech Republic 5-2.  It became clearly obvious that the keys to success in the tournament would rest on the team’s ability to adapt to the adversity (jet lag, a six-hour time difference, uncomfortable sleeping quarters, dietary challenges and extremely humid conditions) and it’s adherence to a more disciplined approach to the game. 

Les Canadians rebounded as expected in their next three games defeating teams from Germany, Switzerland, and Russia to close out the round-robin competition.   Canada became the sentimental fan favourite after they eliminated the hometown Slovaks 4-1 in the semi-final.  They would meet the Czech Republic for the gold medal and world ball hockey supremacy. 

In an exciting and well-played final game, Gus Kourousis, Tournament MVP led Canada to a convincing 5-2 victory over the Czechs to capture the title and first ever World Championship of Ball Hockey.  The competition, which brought countries from Europe and North America together, was indeed the most storied and progressive event in the history of the game since organized paly began in the early 1970’s.

The globalization of ball hockey has finally arrived.  There are no longer any boundaries between borders.  It’s all for one and one for all.  The game has indeed become a nation under one roof that enters to all walks of life.  It has truly become a game that is open to everyone where anyone can play.

1996 Team Canada, despite winning the inaugural World Championship more importantly played an integral role in establishing the foundation for allied administrative team and players relationships in the sport of ball hockey in Canada.

Congratulations to the Ontario Ball Hockey Association and Quebec Ball Hockey Federation and for their support to Team Canada and their coaching staff of the first World Champions of Ball Hockey for….”Every Great Achievement was at one time considered impossible”.

Game 1 – 16-0 win over Austria

Game 2 – 5-5 tie with Slovakia

Game 3 – 6-3 loss to Czech Republic

Game 4 – 6-2 win over Germany

Game 5 – 14-0 win over Switzerland

Game 6 – 10-0 win over Russia

Semi Final – 4-1 win over Slovakia

Final – 5-2 win over Czech Republic 

Team Canada

Vince Arnone, Sal Bambaci, Gennaro Calzolaio, Chris Charles, Robert Costanzo, Ben Davis, Bryan Denney, Angelo Folano, Pat Jaffre, Gus Kourossis, Mike Lapolla, Michel Leclair, Nat Macri, Frank Magno, Mario Morroni, Neil Mcelligott, Giovanni Miloncini, Robert Moretto, Bill Nicholson, Bob Nicholson-Clarke, Frank Perciasepe, Pat Petraccione, Nick Vassilou

General Manager: Tony Iannitto, Head Coach: Daniel Ranalli, Assistants: Peter Morocco, Marc Marino, Administration: Domenic DiGironimo and Technical/Game Official: Mauro Cugini

Since 1996, when the Slovak host organization held this first World Championship, the game has come a long way. That same host organization would later become the World Ball Hockey Federation (WBHF) fostering global growth and various championship formats, stressing inclusion for both genders and various divisions of play in Men’s and Women’s Open as well as Master’s Open (O35), Elite (O40) and SuperSeries (O50) divisions and youth in U14, U16, U18, U20 and Girls U20 all in 5v5 categories.  The WBHF also offers 3v3 Championships for Men’s, Women’s, Master’s Open divisions and U17 & U19 youth divisions.

The Ontario Ball Hockey Association has been instrumental in assisting the WBHF with rapid growth in Russia, partnered with their hockey federation, as well as in China, developing programs for schools and assisting their Women’s Olympic Hockey program. The WBHF has continued its global expansion into Belarus, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, India, Pakistan, Poland and Sweden.

What stories will be written in the next twenty-five years?  Be a part of writing history!

#BallHockey #DekHockey #Hokejbal #StreetHockey #Hockeyballe #WeAreBallHockey

While the pandemic continues to dominate our every-day life, recent announcements of vaccine development gives us all the opportunity to dream and begin planning for life after the pandemic.

In our history, the National Ball Hockey Association of Canada (NBHAC) has participated in the development of this sport at many levels, and as we look ahead to 2021 and beyond, we are planning to continue our legacy with a number of world class events.  

For all inquiries, please email the NBHAC at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Click here for the 2021 Calendar of events

Stay safe and be well and we will see you in 2021

The National Ball Hockey Association of Canada is hosting Development Skills Camps of all levels and four age groups as an introduction to the sport or to enhance player skills. 

The Development Skills Camps will be administrated and run by members of Women’s Men's and Junior Team Canada.

St. Catharines camp will be hosted Saturday, March 6 at the Haig Bowl

For the 2021 camp registration form, please click here for the form and submit it to the National Ball Hockey Association of Canada (NBHAC) no later than February 6, 2021 

#NBHACDevSkillCamps

#WeAreBallHockey

 The National Ball Hockey Association of Canada is hosting Development Skills Camps of all levels and four age groups as an introduction to the sport or to enhance player skills. 

The Development Skills Camps will be administrated and run by members of Women's, Men's and Junior Team Canada.

Ottawa camp will be hosted Saturday, March 27 at the Rideau Sports Centre

For the 2021 camp registration form, please click here for the form and submit it to the National Ball Hockey Association of Canada (NBHAC) no later than March 6, 2021 

#NBHACDevSkillCamps

#WeAreBallHockey