Since 1976…
The year was 1976. Members of the Brasserie Le Dauphin Pub team decided to create a provincial Slow Pitch softball tournament to raise funds for their team. Fifty-four teams would compete, playing day and night, in the event that year.

A few weeks prior to the initial tournament, Yvon Dépatie, a young, active Le Dauphin player, died in a work-related accident. At that moment, his teammates and family decided to honor the memory of the athlete by giving his name, Yvon 'Pif' Dépatie, to the event. The volunteer organizers, faced with the still-fresh memories of their friend, pressed on, but not whithout difficulty, to make that first edition of the tournament a success.

Times have changed
During the early years, about 30 people banded together to ensure the smooth operation of the tournament. Today, the organizing committee requires more than 150 volunteers to fulfill the various tasks during the seven-day event. The operating budget of the first edition was $1,500, quite a contrast to the $175,000 needed today to put on a tournament of this magnitude.

A change of name for the tournament
In 2001, the Yvon 'Pif' Dépatie Tournament began an association with a new major partner, Vacances Transat, and the event was renamed Pif Vacances Transat Classic.

With sincerity...
Many people remember that first edition of the Yvon 'Pif' Dépatie tournament, as it held a lot of significance for the vast majority of those involved. A good number of people from that original group continue to be active on the organizing committee, bringing with them sincerity, honesty and determination to the event for which they show relentless fidelity. Year after year, it is with eagerness and conviction that these volunteers continue to make the Pif Vacances Transat Slow Pitch Classic one of the most prestigious in North America.