Things to do between games at a hockey tournament

Updated October 9, 2026

Tournament weekends are mostly waiting. Three hours between games, a hotel, a lobby full of kids with too much energy. A player lounge with something hockey to do keeps them in one place and out of the vending machines. The easiest centerpiece is a hockey video game on a TV that four kids can play at once.

Ideas that work

• A video game tournament. Put Brudvig Hockey 2027 on a TV with four controllers and run a team-vs-team bracket. Print one: a printable game night bracket. Two-minute periods keep games short.
• A shootout leaderboard. The game's Shootout mode keeps a top-10 board with initials. Whoever's on top Sunday gets the bragging rights, which is all anyone wanted.
• A stickhandling corner. A few pucks or balls and some cones on a mat, if the venue allows it.
• Team photo spot. A banner and good light. Parents will thank you.
• Card and board games for the kids who've had enough hockey for one day, all three of them.

Setting up the hockey game

You need a TV, a laptop or cheap computer, a four-port USB hub and four USB controllers. Open brudvighockey.com in Chrome, press Rink Lobby Mode, and every controller joins by pressing A. Players without a controller can join with their phone by scanning the QR code on the screen. Everything, with a diagram and the exact parts we use, is in the setup guide.

Tips for a busy room

• Set the period length to 1 or 2 minutes in Settings so the line keeps moving.
• Wired controllers: they don't need charging and they don't leave in a hockey bag.
• Rink Lobby Mode goes back to its lobby after every game by itself, so nobody needs to run it.