200×85 20th Anniversary – Part I
200×85’s 20th Anniversary is a perfect time to pause and reflect. Over the years, we’ve celebrated many successes, learned from plenty of failures, and most importantly, have adapted and grown – for ourselves, our youth athletes, and our sport.
We started 200×85 with the mission to deliver the most elite youth hockey experiences that could positively showcase the skill, athleticism, passion, and drive that these top athletes bring to the ice. This ‘passion project’ born in 2003, was built on a clear vision and a team of incredible, like-minded individuals. And while our events and programs have become so successful, it’s the people – our customers, partners, and employees – who have been the driving force behind making it all happen.
We delivered the first of our famous World Invite tournaments in 2003, inviting only the cream-of-the-crop players to compete in Chicago, IL. The talent on the rink was unquestionable. Jacob Trouba, Tyler Seguin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Tyler Toffoli, Vincent Trocheck, Max Domi, and 20 other future NHL studs competed and put on a show, setting the standard for our events to come.
Over the years, we continued to showcase top competition at 200×85’s World Invite tournament, while adding to the overall athlete experience – because we don’t believe in doing anything halfway. By expanding our reach, mixing up our host city, and partnering with industry leaders like CCM, 200×85 has grown to deliver events that you can’t find anywhere else. Kevin Mann, 200×85 CEO, described the brand’s attention to detail, stating, “A successful event means much more than meeting people’s expectations, it means exceeding them. It starts by paying attention to the small things in everything we touch. By doing the little things right, we never have to settle for anything less than a premier product.”
We followed up with our first-ever Chi-Town Shuffle, hosting the top talent from around the world, including teams from hockey powerhouses, Russia and Latvia. Bringing this high-level, international competition to the states was a huge win for 200×85 and the entire youth hockey community. Twenty years later, the Chi-Town Shuffle remains the premier AAA Spring youth ice hockey tournament and is still bringing in the top teams (over 250!) from around the world to compete.
After just two years in our home city of Chicago, we were already looking for ways to expand our hockey horizons. In 2005, we made our maiden voyage up to Detroit, Michigan, where the world-famous Motown Classic was born. That first year featured a long list of ‘97 Mite Majors who would go on to play in the NHL, including the likes of Jakob Chychurn, Logan Brown, Luke Kunin, Jack Roslovic, Trent Fredrick, Brandon Duhaime, and Matthew Tkachuk.
200-Trivia: Who was the first Motown tournament player to ever win a Stanley Cup? (We’ll give ya the answer to that at the end of this article.)
Those first two years of 200×85 were critical in teaching our team how to push the envelope. Since then, our crew has worked tirelessly to develop new opportunities and experiences for hockey players around the world.
We kept our foot on the gas, and in 2011, 200×85 hit Michigan and the youth hockey community with yet another spectacular event – the first-ever Nations Cup. Sticking to our reputation, this tournament featured arguably the greatest competition at any youth hockey event ever. Watching 8 of the top 10 teams in the United States battle it out with 8 of the top 10 Canadian teams is something that our company, and youth hockey fans all over, may never forget. To this day, the Nations Cup is one of the most unique and memorable hockey tournaments in the world – giving athletes from the United States and Canada the opportunity to duke it out on the ice for their country!
Stay tuned for more as we continue to reminisce on the last twenty years that made 200×85.
200-Trivia Answer: Robert Thomas, a ’99 birth year athlete who competed at Motown with the Toronto Red Wings in X, won the Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019.