One week before tee-off it looked like the fifth annual Team Canada Alumni Association charity golf tournament would also be the organization’s first annual charity snow golf tournament.

For fans of Canada’s national winter sport, hitting the “whites,” as it were, in support of the good ol’ game may seem like a natural fit – if the calendar didn’t still say summer. But by Tuesday, Sept. 16, the golfers were able to take to the greens at Lakeside Greens Golf and Country Club in Chestermere, Alta., just outside Calgary.

“Given Calgary’s recent winter blast, we thank the Lakeside Greens Golf and Country Club and managing partner and alumnus, Wayne McBean, for a great day on the links,” said Chris Bright, executive director of the Hockey Canada Foundation.

This year’s event raised more than $30,000, according to Bright, money that goes toward grassroots hockey and high-performance national teams, and all levels in between. Most recently the Hockey Canada Foundation, through its Dreams Come True program, provided new equipment and covered registration fees for more than three dozen aspiring players in Richmond, B.C.

Tournament entrance fees account for only part of the proceeds; items such as team jerseys and concert and sporting tickets are up for offer at silent and live auctions at the event.

Through its first five years, the tournament has now raised more than $130,000. And this year’s event was the biggest yet, with 145 golfers and 30 Team Canada alumni taking part.

Among the alumni hitting the course were Al Coates, general manager of Canada’s National Men’s Team at the 2005 Spengler Cup; Morris Lukowich, who played at the 1981 IIHF World Championship; Charlie Simmer, who won a bronze medal at the 1983 world championship; and Brendan Morrison, who represented Canada at the three world championships, bringing home gold in 2004 and silver in 2005.

In addition to raising money to help continue the country’s tradition of hockey success, the tournament allows alumni a chance to catch up or maybe even meet fellow former Team Canada players for the first time. It also gives the golfers the chance to hear firsthand accounts of Canada’s international hockey history from those who helped write it.

But with high-performance and professional athletes, there’s also bound to be a little competition, even if it’s of the friendly variety.

Peter Allen, a member of Canada’s National Men’s Team in 1995 and 2000, led the RBC group to the lowest score of the day; the team finished 16-under-par for its round.

Hockey Canada relies on support within the hockey community year round, whether it’s running a local skills camp for Bantam players or choosing players for Canada’s National Junior Team’s development camp. It received the same assistance on the greens on this day as it receives on the ice. The Western Hockey League, Hockey Alberta, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Oldtimers Hockey Association were all instrumental in helping make the day a success with their support and participation.