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With the sheer size and volume of the people involved with the games being played at the competition, it’s no surprise that the on-ice battles have led to the opportunity for anyone involved to consistently break new ground with new accomplishments, even after repeated visits and continued success.

Esso Minor Hockey Week is the largest minor hockey tournament in the world which sees over 13,000 kids, 653 teams, 4000 coaches and over 6,000 volunteers. The week-long tourney wrapped up Saturday at arenas across Calgary.

“I think it’s very significant. If I know correctly, it’s the biggest minor-sports tournament in the world. I think it’s a huge part of our city. It gets pretty good recognition from around the world,” explained Longley on his views of the Esso competition.

Despite the pressures that may come in playing in such a prestigious event, Longley scoffed at the idea of having any first year nerves or jitters and was quick to pass off the glory to the hands of his group of players.

“They’ve been handling it very well. Our captain is a third-year player, and he’s never won Esso before, and it’s his last year of minor hockey, so I’m very happy with him.

“I thought our leaders were our best players, and that made a big difference.”

Longley, who was also on a bench that included head coach Russ Longley, assistant coach Glen Burgess and assistant coach Manish Goel, appeared to have been handed the reigns to his team midway through the game. The Hawks, after going back and forth with their Southwest 4 Blue opponents in the first period then started to run away thanks to their own offensive prowess, eventually winning the game handedly by a lopsided score of 6-2. Once the game started to get away, Longley was the most noticeable coach behind the bench.