Closing in on the end of our third season as the RMC Hockey Alumni Association

Article submitted by RMC Hockey Alumni Association President Wayne Green RMC 1997

We are quickly closing in on the end of our third season as the RMC Hockey Alumni Association.  This year we have continued to increase our presence and support RMC Hockey.  Our highlight of the year was the Reunion Activity we held in conjunction with West Point weekend where we had over 60 RMC Hockey Alumni attend our events that weekend and and additional 40 RMC Hockey Alumni and friends that we know of attend the game itself.

Our last key event we are supporting this year is the RMC Hockey Awards and Graduation Banquet being held on 5 April in Kingston.  Hopefully you received the invite from Coach Lim.  There are two ways we are looking to support this event.  The first is if you are in the local area we would be more than happy to see a few faces in attendance to support the program or if you are not in the area you can “Sponsor a Player”.  All details can be found at this link – http://weblink.donorperfect.com/HockeyBanquet2025

While our “season” ends with Graduation weekend, we are looking forward to the 2025-26 season and planning our events.  2026 will be a bit of a milestone year as it will represent 140 years of RMC Hockey since the 1st game against Queen’s on 10 March 1886 and it will be the 40th Anniversary of the Carr-Harris Cup.  For next season we are looking forward to the following key activities:

a. Summer 2025 – the official announcement of the incoming recruits for 2025-26.  Coach Lim and his staff look to have another solid recruiting class to augment the returning players and we look forward to there official announcements throughout the summer.

b. February 2026 – As RMC is the “home team” for the Carr-Harris Cup, we will look to host the 4th Annual RMC Hockey Alumni Reunion in Kingston with events similar to what we have done in the past.  Once the league schedule is finalized we will post the event date and work on marketing and ticket sales for the event.

c. West Point Game – the next West Point Game will be held at West Point with a date TBC.  While we will not be organizing a formal event in West Point, there seems to be significant interest from Alumni and Families of team members to see a presence at the game.  What we will look to do is see if we can work with College to get a “RMC Seat Allocation” for the game so that we can have a dedicated section of support.  More details to follow on tickets.

Of note if there is a significant enough presence there may be a possibility of a pre-game group meal if folks are interested and depending on where people are staying.  Volunteers to co-ordinate this would be appreciated.

As we head into planning for next year we want to acknowledge the new group of RMC Hockey Alumni as the Team bids “to 7 exceptional individuals that have had unwavering commitment to our program; Thomas Robitaille, Devin Leduc, Dylan Wells, Joel Holtrop, Ryan Smith, Brent Broaders and Mathieu Hebert.  We are filled with gratitude for their unwavering dedication and contributions to our program over the past four and five years. Their passion and commitment have left an indelible mark on our team, and we invite you to join us in celebrating their remarkable achievements.”

With the upcoming 2024-25 RMC Men’s Hockey Awards and Graduation Banquet on 5 April 2025, we thought it would be a good time to look back at the last 3 years of the RMC Hockey Alumni since it stood up in July 2022.

Since our initial inception in July 2022 with a small group of interested former players we have grown to an online community of just under 200 former players, staff and family members of current and past players.  Through ticket sales to RMC Hockey Alumni events and donations from individuals, the RMC Hockey Alumni has raised $50,500 to the period ending 31 Jan 2025.  with a few more weeks to go in our 2024-25 “Season” that ends on graduation weekend in May, that is an average of about $18,000 per year that is raised in support of the RMC Men’s Hockey Program.

Our ticket sales are generated through our annual RMC Hockey Alumni Reunion, in 2023 and 2024 centred on the Carr-Harris Cup and in 2025 the West Point Weekend.  Additionally we directly support the RMC Hockey Program through our “send a player” event for the annual Awards and Graduation Banquet.  Along with those ticket sales, there are some monthly donors and individuals who donate throughout the year.  Through this generous support we have been able to do such things as:

• Procure year end Graduation Gifts (framed Jerseys)
• Procure West Point game pucks
• Help off set costs for team gear (polos, jackets etc)

In addition to the direct monetary support, RMC Hockey Alumni have supported the team by attending home and away games, attending the Awards and Graduation Banquet and working with Coach Lim engage players with career advice both while at the college and upon graduation.

We hope to continue to increase the engagement of RMC Hockey Alumni from all eras to support RMC Men’s Hockey.  Next season we again will have our two signature events:

• RMC Hockey Alumni Reunion in Kingston at the Carr-Harris Cup in Feb 2026 (this will be the 38th edition of the game and 2026 will be the 140th anniversary of the first game between the 2 schools)
• Supporting the 2025-26 Awards and Graduation Banquet in April 2026

In addition to our two signature events we will look to see what we may be able to organize for a trip to West Point (seats and maybe a small pre-game reception/meal).  More details on this once the dates for the game are confirmed.

Want to get involved?  We are always looking to have any RMC Hockey Alumni help out and suggest ways we can improve.  There are several ways individuals can directly support RMC Men’s Hockey and the RMC Hockey Alumni:

• Attend RMC Hockey Alumni signature events (all proceeds go direct to the Hockey Program)
• Attend RMC home and away games
• Donate directly to the RMC Hockey Program (monthly or one time at https://www.rmcalumni.ca/en/donate-today/athletics/hockey/
• Donate your time to organize a specific RMC Hockey Alumni Fundraising event/activity

We would like to thank all of those who have and continue to support the RMC Men’s Hockey Program and wish you all the best this off season as we look forward to the 2025-26 Men’s Hockey Season.