Organizers for the 13th annual Kimmett Cup are still holding onto hope that the event will go ahead this year. 

The pond hockey tournament was supposed to run Feb. 5-7, but the plan right now is to instead have a modified version of it go on Feb. 26-28.

The annual event typically sees hundreds of participants flock to Cochrane for a weekend of fun, hockey, fundraising and remembrance.

The event was started as a way to remember Lindsay Kimmett who tragically passed away in 2008. With continued support and effort from the Kimmett family, friends, volunteers and the Cochrane community, over $2 million has been raised through the Lindsay Leigh Kimmett Memorial Foundation.

Reid Kimmett says they will make a firm decision on Feb. 1 on whether or not the tournament can go ahead. 

"Back in November with the restrictions that were in place at that time we had the town sign off on a return-to-play plan that was a drastically different version of Kimmett cup, but still something that was able to happen and the spirit of the event still continue, with the restrictions that have come on, that plan is just kind of on hold."

If they can't go ahead with the hockey tournament next month, they're looking at doing something this summer instead.

"Right now our plan is waiting until February 1 to kind of make a last minute call as to whether realistically we think this is something that can proceed in our revised format or do we have to cancel the traditional winter format and push something to the summer where we hold a road hockey tournament. There would be that much more time for the pandemic to slow down and have more widespread vaccination, that kind of thing."

Although registration isn't open yet, because they're waiting until they're 100 per cent sure they can proceed, they've decided to drop the price to register teams because they recognize the difficult times people are faced with. 

Typically it costs $300 to register a team. It will be just $25 this year. 

Kimmett says ensuring the safety of everyone involved is their top priority and the revised tournament plan allows for family cohorts to play amongst themselves. 

"There won't be as much competitive hockey where you have multiple teams playing each other, these multiple teams coming from Calgary, Cochrane and other surrounding areas, we're really trying to reduce that cross-spread. So the main component would be for people in their cohorts, so back to the way it was in November, their family and their siblings, they would be able to book a time slot to come and just play amongst themselves."

They've laid out a relaunch safety plan on their website.

Giving to two important charities is still the theme this year whether the tournament goes ahead or not, the Children's Cottage Society and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  

"There's a gifting section there and we're working with the same two primary charities that we always do. There's the Make-A-Wish Foundation, you can set up a fundraising page and you don't have to be a participant in the event. If you just want to have something good in your life and do something good for others that would lift you up, then jump on there and do that."