The ideaof using hockey to help youth succeed in the game of life is nothing new.
The NewYork Rangers, for example, host clinics at their training centre for kids ofvarious ages and skill levels. Former Ranger great Adam Graves guides thesessions which feature other alumni as well as current team coaches.
TheRichmond Sockeyes hope a new partnership with Seafair Minor Hockey provesequally successful. The Mini Sockeyes Hockey Program will debut next season,with players from the local Pacific International Junior Hockey Leagueclub—and perhaps some alumni—teaching four and five year olds thefundamentals of hockey in a fun-first environment.
“Theseyoung gaffers are what it is all about,” says Doug Paterson, a formerSockeye and now part of the team’s ownership group. “If we can helpa little kid put skates on for the first time and he comes off the ice with agleam on his face, whether he makes the Sockeyes or becomes a piano player is notimportant. What is important is they’re given a chance.”
Paterson likensit to the Tim Hortons Timbits Minor Sports Program for four to eight year oldsparticipating in local house leagues. The idea is not about winning or losing,but on learning a sport and making new friends.
“Ittouches my heart (in the Tim Hortons commercial) when they hone in on SidneyCrosby when he’s starting to learn to skate and the gap-toothsmile,” he said. “The Sockeyes are a community team rich in historyand there are lots of things we can try to do together. The more kids we canconnect to hockey, the better.”
Paterson saidhe expects the Mini Sockeyes Hockey Program will begin with only one team, butexpects it to quickly expand to include other age groups.
TheSockeyes already operate a successful alumni program that is expandingexponentially. An annual golf tournament and yearly alumni hockey game havehelped to generate more than $100,000 in scholarships.
SeafairMinor Hockey president Ken Hamaguchi said the new partnership with the Sockeyesis not a major breakthough in the development of hockey, “but it sure isa neat idea.”
“Essentially,this is a nice gesture by the Richmond Sockeyes to help our players,” hesaid. “In return, we hope our young players will develop a love for thisgame and if they bug their parents to take them to watch the Sockeyes play, somuch the better. In the end, I think the Sockeyes and Seafair feel anything wecan do to encourage the growth and appeal of the game is worth trying.”
Itdidn’t take long for the program to come together. As the 2009-10 minorhockey season wound down, a few members of the Seafair board sat down todiscuss ways to improve the Hockey 1 introductory program. They decided theinstructor to student ratio needed to increase. They also agreed that theplayers would respond better to younger, knowledgeable instructors.
“Withthe growing number of ex-Seafair players with the Sockeyes, it seemed logicalto hire a few of them as our new instructors,” said Hamaguchi.
“Underthe supervision of our Hockey 1 co-ordinator, and using the Hockey CanadaDevelopment Program, we hope to have (at least) two or three Sockeyes workingwith the kids and teaching them the basics along with the assistance of ourparent volunteers.”
Not onlydid the Sockeyes give the idea the thumbs up, but offered to pay for playerjerseys and include the youngsters in the game warm-ups.
