The upcoming Havoc Hockey tournament is in jeopardy after the organization failed to pay for the ice, leaving the players heartbroken and teams questioning whether their deposits will be returned.

The annual tournament had 17 minor hockey teams confirmed, with players between the ages of eight and 14, and was to take place the second week of May at WinSport. The booking was released and the ice rebooked by another group after Havoc Hockey missed the April 5 deadline.

A team manager from Manitoba says the organizer has stopped answering calls and won’t return emails or texts. “ I felt panicked,” said Brandy Bjornson, manager of the Manitoba Stallions, in a video interview with CTV Calgary. “How was I going to tell the story not only to my children who would be disappointed not going to Calgary for their final tournament of the year but also to the parents I represent on our team.”

“I have 15 families I’m held accountable to as a manager.”

Jennifer Burns, the owner of Havoc Hockey, admits that she is facing financial problems and says her bank account has been frozen.

The organization has been hosting spring tournaments since 2011 but, in a letter to her clients sent last weekend, Burns announced that she would be ceasing operations due to unforeseen circumstances. According to Burns, the Canada Revenue Agency slapped her with a massive employee tax bill despite the fact she hasn’t had any employees since 2019 and she’s also facing expensive family law bills.

“The tournament is not going to happen at WinSport unfortunately but I’m still going to be able to accommodate some of the teams that are travelling to make sure they can still attend a tournament,” explained Burns in an interview with CTV. “(I’ll) work with some who have stepped up to help me. Those who are looking for a refund, I’m going to do my best to refund them as soon as possible.”

“I certainly didn’t intend or foresee this happening. It’s pretty abrupt for me as well.”

Spring hockey tournaments often fall outside of the regulations of governing bodies that would monitor how events are organization and are the tournaments are often run by volunteers.

With files from CTV's Ina Sidhu