the S A L A A M C U P Muslim Ball Hockey Tournament

07.18.10
Scarborough Youngsters take 1st ever
Junior Crown

After watching one Salaam Cup after another, the thought of a junior tournament makes anyone think that the hockey is a lot slower, more sloppy and due to the plethora of practically no-experienced arena ball hockey players, we're probably in for a very long day. This tournament seems to always bring out the best in our junior Muslim community and the hockey was no exception. Watching each of the games and the pandemonium the crowds created in the stands pretty much created a mini-Salaam Cup atmosphere including some very exciting hockey.

Even before the directors touched down at the parking lots of the famed Malton Arena, there was already a school bus load of teens and pre-teens disembarking with equipment bags and sticks over their shoulders heading into the rink. The junior players create a much different atmosphere however. They are wide-eyed, much more excited and have a sense of respect when they meet their elders like the coaches, referees and tournament officials. Just by shaking the hands of these 12 to 16 year olds, the feeling of being a kid again somehow comes back.

Right from the very first game between the Ansar Juniors and the Scarborough Junior Hockey Club, you got that sense of rivalry from the outset of the first faceoff. The rink is a lot bigger than the gymnasiums and parking lots these kids are used to, but they adapted very well and actually looked like experienced ballers in the concrete and glass coliseum.

Saleh Hafejee and company put together probably the most experienced and hungry bunch with the SJHC. Some of the best of the best coming out of the SMBHA banded together with other notables such as Samir and Imran Patel and the prodigy Aamir Talati for support to ensure this team does its best and also showcases its best during the event.

Sajjid Ayubi and his 4 Salaam Cup titles spearheaded the Ansar Junior team with the help of Naiem Malik out of the Brampton, Mississauga and Rexdale areas. The team possessed some strong talent and energy to field a group that had the potential to go far.

Yusuf Bangee who is known around the sport of ballhockey amongst the elites since the early 90's took charge of the Palace Rising Stars that originated mainly out of the Midland/Lawrence area of Scarborough and took on the responsibility to let some of the youngsters strut their stuff at the Salaam Cup.

Abbas Amarshi and Rahil Ahmed committed themselves to strengthening the skills and hockey presence in the Markham region with their junior team. With some notable stars that already have rink experienced, this team was poised to make some noise.

Suleman Nakhuda who is mainly recognized for his spine-bending moves in the arena brought out his red army of young bucks from the Donlands/Danforth area of Toronto - via a school bus as well - that created some of the most excitement from their young fans with some interesting chants and cheers.

Safraz Motala, Naveed Bahadur and Shahid Jogiyat had a dilemma on their hands prior to the tournament. As they fielded one team known simply as "Tpark", the younger crowd from the Thorncliffe Park were incensed and surrounded Naveed one Maghrib evening at Masjid Darus-Salaam. Naveed had no choice but to put in a 2nd team mainly comprised of much younger juniors and inexperienced players. The Masjid in Thorncliffe Park should receive a lot of respect, because not only did they support in sending the first team, but they also supported in sending the 2nd team to the tournament and Thorncliffe proved that hockey is definitely running through the bloodstreams of these juniors out there.

Last, but definitely not least, Yousuf Rashid who brought a team out of the Montreal area deserves the most respect here. Travelling over 550km and over 6hrs of driving just for the youngsters in his area to experience probably the best Muslim ball hockey as to offer. His team displayed some brilliant hockey and went as far as the semi-finals before bowing out. After speaking with Yousuf after the game, he mentioned that it was the best environment for not only himself, but his players and that "he experienced and learned some amazing things about my community".

The Salaam Cup seems to bring that element to our community and this tournament produced some of the most exciting and edge-of-your-seat action that even a senior player would be envious about. Probably the highlight of the tournament were the Markham Junior team's game against the Ansar. The Ansar brought a very boisterous crowd, but were matched by the Markham fans with their loudness. When the Ansar took a 2-0 lead into the 2nd period, it seemed as if the game was over and that Markham's tournament was about to end. Not so fast said Aadil Kadva as someone mixed some Red Bull in his waterbottle, the kid was everywhere and anywhere and with that, helped his team reel off 5 goals in a row. Ansar's alarm clock went off which finally woke them up to pot another 2 to close the gap to just one with one minute left. A mind-boggling final seconds ensued with one disallowed goal, one amazing save, 3 desperate shot blocks and one exasperating ping off the cross-bar that held off the vicious flurry from the Ansar to give Markham a berth in the championship finals.

With all the energy the Markham team expunged in the Ansar semi's, they really had no gas left in the tank to take on the colossal task of beating a very dominant team from the Markham and Lawrence area: the SJHC. With that, captain Abu Bakr Hafejee collected 4 points enroute to a 6-0 win and taking the 1st Junior crown at the Salaam Cup along with MVP honours. Aadil Kadva who's 16yr old frame played like a 26-year old all tournament long was named co-MVP for the finalists.

What was the best thing about this tournament? In my humble opinion, it was the celebrations that took place on the floor after every goal, every win and of course the championship win. You forget while they are playing with their helmets, gloves and coordinating jerseys that these are just kids who are finding themselves in roles they were handed on the floor, but when you see them in the crowd screaming their heads off, the jubilation they displayed when the orange ball goes in the net and when the Junior Salaam Cup was won, you knew right there that the directors were onto something. In the end, it couldn't have happened without the help and commitment of each and every coach and team staff member as maintaining the focus and emotions of a young teenager is never easy, especially when you have at least 16 of them. On top of that, each and every one involved in making the tournament run smooth from the scorers, timekeepers, food vendors and referees should receive some of the biggest accolades as they are part of the tournament as much as the players and commissioners. Congratulations again to Saleh Hafejee and the Scarborough Junior Hockey Club for being named the 2010 Junior Salaam Cup champions.

Safi Habib - Tournament Director