WHITEWATER REGION (Westmeath) — On September 20th, 40 kids, ranging from 4 to 8 years old, came to the Westmeath Community Hall to get their complete set of CCM hockey equipment including skates and a hockey stick.
A few hours earlier, three Ottawa Senator Employees had unloaded a rental truck with all the bags of equipment and numerous supplies. They were Jennifer Thomas, a co-ordinator of Fan and Community Development, along with interns Rebecca Saunders and Evan Brooks, both high school students employed part-time for five months as part of a high school work program.
Ms. Thomas, a graduate of Laurentian University was herself an intern last year before being promoted to co-ordinating the Little Sens hockey program.
“I’m involved in extending communications with the public about the Senators team and to introduce programs like this Little Sens one today into local hockey venues,” she said. Their slogan is “Skate through Life”.
The NHL and NHLPA (Players Association) are the grass-roots of this operation. The individual NHL teams then interface in their area of fan-base.
Locally, in partnership with the Ottawa Senators Foundation, this initiative introduces children who have never played the sport of hockey in a fun and positive setting with minimal time and financial commitments.
Players will learn the basics through cross-ice drills and games from an expert team of instructors from the Senators Hockey Programs. There is registration on-line, payment ($112) and allocation to an area, this one being in Renfrew County.
Renfrew County represented by Muskrat and was sent a list of the 40 applicants to Neil Nicholson, program co-ordinator, who arranged the distribution.
The 8-hours of ice-time at no cost at the Beachburg Arena is administered by Mike Bradbury, head referee who was also in Westmeath to assist the parents in getting the kids dressed in their hockey outfits for sizing. Some even wore them home.
Each group of five will be assigned a coach, a total of eight coaches needed for the program.
Coaches and potential coaches too, register with the Senators program on-line. If desired, they are given the opportunity of a one-day training program to be certified as a Level 1 coach and tickets to a Sens game.
1500 kids, who might never get to play are given that chance by the “Little Sens Learn to Play”, as are many new coaches being trained, often leading to higher levels of coaching, Ms. Thomas said.
The measurement of performance is this introduction to hockey and advancement next into an IP (Initiation Program) or Novice team for instance, and is well over 50 percent.
These extensive efforts by the NHL/NHLPA and the Ottawa Senators will help keep alive hockey in the Muskrat League and others with a steady supply of players otherwise not discovered.
