Showdown Hockey Tournament History

We are celebrating our 36th year of hosting youth hockey tournaments in Maryland and Tennessee!

Here’s a little of our history, as tournaments have been part of our family since 1972. The first tournament originated in Tonawanda, NY. In 1982, the tournaments moved to Niagara Falls, NY, where the Shootout Classic and Winter Ice Experience are still held today. In the 1980s, we also hosted the Playboy Miller High Life adult tournament and the Top Gun youth tournament.

Brian’s father, Gene Harrington, took his youth team to Nashville to share his love for country music. This was such a wonderful experience that in 1991, he hosted the 1st Country & Western Showdown. Over the years, Country & Western influenced hockey in Nashville and many southern states. We are the original youth hockey tournament in Nashville, TN, and we are happy to be celebrating our 36th year!

In August 1993, our family and the hockey community experienced a great loss with the untimely death of Gene. At that time, we received an outpouring of support from the hockey community to continue his legacy. In Sept 1993, we took on the roles of tournament directors and honoring Gene’s legacy. It was sheer emotion that motivated us in the early years.

In 2000, we hosted the 1st Crabtown Showdown Tournament, and in 2010 the Capital Showdown in MD evolved.

Our biggest addition to our tournament offerings is from our determination to provide more than a youth hockey tournament. We

created the Showdown Skills Event to add a fun element to the Showdown Tournament experience. It’s a skills event like no other!

2026 brings a lot of excitement as we happily announce Dylan is transitioning to be the lead of our family-run tournaments!

Today, we look back on all the years of youth hockey and hockey tournaments our family has embarked on. We bring 36 years of youth hockey tournament experience to you and look forward to many more.

The Harringtons – Dylan, Brian, and Whitney
Showdown Tournament Directors