Something I can address that will actually stop some of the complaining (or make it worse
)
First there are four tournaments per team. Basically four months to the season, so one tournament per month. (additional tournaments have to be booked out of team accounts in our association.)
Second, the ice scheduler has a couple of weekends a year where there is a minimal amount of ice open on the association's sheets due to other factors and they suggest that we get as many teams into tournaments as possible on those weekends.
Third, three are in town, one out of town. That actually really limits the way the season can be set up. There are, in particular, a limited amount of C level tournaments outside of the cities.
If you sit down with a Let's Play Hockey and try to do this for one team level you will see that it severely limits your choices.
Precedence is than given to tournaments with a four game gaurantee or a five game possible, generally these are the tournaments with the highest level of competition. 15 or 17 minutes stop time games are also very attractive.
Cost is certainly a factor, but generally the average tournament is running $650. The very expensive tournaments are giving more games or have more elite competition so if you are entering them you are doing it for the competition or because you have no other choice because everything else is closed.
The sixteen team tournaments are attractive because they are more of a party atmosphere for the kids of that level.
In addition, it depends on your district and how many blackout dates you are granted. We used to only get two blackout weekends so the teams had to be scheduled on Thanksgiving and the Christmas break if possible. Otherwise, in some districts you are subject to a fairly severe game re-schedule fee. There is A LOT of resistance amongst parents to the christmas break tourneys and now that I get to experience day time games the entire week between christmas and new year's, I understand that much better. In some professions that's actually a hard week to get off of work, and do you really want to spend you week of vacation at hockey arenas every day?? Based on personal experience, I'll be steering clear of those tournaments if I book any next year (where possible).
Hotels are an after thought. They have to be booked before teams are formed (and managers in place) but they aren't a reason to book a tournament. However, hotels that are known to be "hockey friendly" should be chosen whenever possible otherwise you run the risk of running into Mr. Night Manager who expects the parents to go to bed with lights off at 10pm--and that NEVER goes over well.
Travel time is also a factor. A cheaper tournament that results in more time off of work (and out of school) are not usually received with a lot of enthusiasm by parents.
Lastly, if a coach has been named for a team they are given their choices as to what tournaments they would like to take their team to.
Bells and whistles with tournaments can change every year. Tournaments are run by volunteers, one year a team may get a really great player's gift and smoke and spotlights, and the next year a different volunteer is in charge and they may do away with all of that but offer no gate fee or a team meal or nothing at all (and rest on the laurels of the volunteers who came before them).
There are some tournaments that are traditionally really great experiences for kids and most of those are booked solid by August 1st.