Hockey Calgary’s NHL/NHLPA First Shift Program continues to grow

FORT MCMURRAY – The focus is on Fort McMurray, as Hockey Alberta hosts its annual Female Hockey Day celebrations at the Frank Lacroix Arena this weekend.

Female Hockey Day, presented by ATB, celebrates female hockey, and brings together players, coaches, officials, parents, and volunteers to participate in the continued development and growth of female hockey, January 26-27.

While Fort McMurray is the hosting site for this year’s event, 12 other communities in Alberta are hosting Female Hockey Day celebrations, thanks to grant money provided by the Hockey Alberta Foundation. Different events are planned in Castor and Coronation (3Cs), Fort Saskatchewan, Grovedale, Jasper, Lacombe (Lacoka), Slave Lake, Smoky River, Spruce Grove, Vermilion, and Whitecourt. Lakeland College and Lloydminster as well as Thorhild and Redwater are co-hosting events.

“Female Hockey Day is a great way to celebrate all aspects of the girls’ game across Alberta,” said Morgen Kidney, Hockey Alberta’s coordinator of female hockey. “It’s exciting to see how many associations will be joining in this weekend through their own events; we have over a dozen MHAs hosting in conjunction with our main event in Fort McMurray. We’re thrilled to be up here for 2024 and to focus and celebrate the growth they’ve had over the past few seasons.”

In Fort McMurray there are several events taking place over the weekend for registered teams and youth hockey players. Day 1 features sessions on Goal Scoring and Defensive Skills. The Goal Scoring session allows skaters to learn how to apply their offensive skills to the game, while the Defensive Skills program focuses on improving defensive skills, tactics, and fundamentals. A school program is also taking place at Good Shepherd Community School.

Day 2 allows youth females to play the sport for the first time with a Try Hockey event. This will be used to learn the basics and get a feel for the game. Try Hockey includes both an on-ice session and off-ice activity/ classroom session. In the afternoon, Goaltending Development is the focus for current female goaltenders, with a variety of fundamentals covered by some of Alberta’s best goaltending instructors.

Female Hockey Day was first celebrated in 2018, and has previously visited Red Deer, Lethbridge, Lloydminster, and Calgary before coming to Fort McMurray.

Celebrating Female Hockey Day in your own community? Share with us by tagging Hockey Alberta on social media and use the hashtag - #whyweplay.

For more information on Female Hockey Day, visit https://www.hockeyalberta.ca/players/minor-female-hockey/female-hockey-day/.

RED DEER – Going from being a professional hockey player to retirement can be tough for some athletes.

For former NHL defenceman Cory Sarich, he found a relatively smooth transition from the ice to the broadcast booth.

Sarich played parts of 15 seasons in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres, Tampa Bay Lightning, Calgary Flames and Colorado Avalanche, suiting up in 969 games, amassing 158 points and over 1,000 penalty minutes while also appearing in 57 playoff games. He won the Stanley Cup in 2004 with Tampa Bay.

He transitioned to the broadcasting world once he retired, making a regular appearance on the Sportsnet telecast as an intermission analyst during Calgary Flames home games.

“I’d had people mention it towards the end of my career. I think conveying my thoughts while on camera, it never seemed to be much of an issue for me,” Sarich said of his post hockey career which also includes a number of charity events, such as Glencross Invitational that took place in October. The charity hockey tournament raises funds for the Hockey Alberta Foundation and Ronald McDonald House Charities® Alberta.

“Maybe it’s because I talk a lot too. Someone told me ‘Hey we think you might be good at filling some air time and filling some dead air’.”

Photo: Ellery Platts

While Sarich has made the move to the media look smooth, he said it wasn’t something that he actively pursued.

“I knew when I was done hockey that I was going to take time for my family. Now I have a bunch of teenagers so I’m starting to have a bit more time on my hands, but it’s not easy, the transition into post career,” Sarich said. “I am at a great spot in my career now, as a freelancer of sorts with Sportsnet. I still have lots of time with my family, and it’s in a great spot. Some athletes are very prepared, some are a little more unprepared, but you just kind of roll with the punches after your career is done.”

While making that career move wasn’t planned or necessarily thought out, Sarich always had a lot of respect for those who did the job while he was playing.

“At times you have different relationships as a player with the media. At times you think they know nothing and other times you think ‘you know what they can help boost my career’,” Sarich said. “I always tried to treat people with the utmost respect, and it always seemed very interesting to me. The way that they come up with stories, the time and commitment they put into following one specific team, players, whatever it is.

He said he was also fortunate to have some quality people help him with the move to the other side of the microphone.

“I was fortunate enough to be given a chance by the likes of Roger Millions. Ryan Leslie has put some faith in me, so it’s been an easy transition,” Sarich said. “Especially when you’re talking about the sport of hockey. I’m just trying to learn every day from the professionals. As a player you only get to see one side of it, but now that I’m on the other side, you see the prep work … you can’t just talk about the game itself. You’ve got to dig up stories and have a relationship with the players. You also must find the balance between being complimentary and critical.”

Hockey and broadcasting have more similarities than the average person might recognize, starting with pre-game preparation.

“As a player I was always prepared and you need to be prepared going on TV or radio, just so you aren’t tripping over your own tongue,” Sarich said. “There are some other things that are similar between the two … poise, thinking on your feet, teamwork. It might be Ryan Leslie kicking me under the table, telling me to get out, I’m taking too long, and we need to go to break or bailing me out when that thought doesn’t come into my head. So, there’s a lot of similarities between the two and I’m really enjoying myself.”

RED DEER – Two-time Stanley Cup champion Andrew Ladd and his wife Brandy are ensuring that youth hockey teams across Alberta and North America are focusing on their mental, physical, and social well-being through their 1616 initiative.

1616 focuses on making those three traits a more significant focus for youth hockey. It’s also looking to shift the culture in minor hockey to one that not only emphasizes hockey performance, but also development of character, confidence, and connections through environments both with parents and coaches that promotes this healthy development.

"Having grown up in the game I understand the challenges players face,” said Andrew Ladd. “At 1616 we are intentionally leveraging stories of the top athletes in our game to teach the next generation that in every challenge lies an opportunity to strengthen your mind and grow as a person."

The program is designed by a team of experts to create a 16-module experience with video content from some of the best hockey players in the world including Adam Oates, Blayre Turnbull, and Mark Giordano. It features guided in-person discussion prompts for coaches and parents, as well as on-ice drills to enhance on-ice performance, and challenges to help participants apply 1616 principles.

The benefits of 1616 have already been noticed from players, teams and parents who have previously participated in the initiative. 1616 has grown exponentially, as the pilot project in 2021 had 500 participants across North America.

Since then, it has grown to 88 teams across North America including 36 teams from Alberta in 2022 and more than 200 teams in 2023 with over 100 teams coming from this province.

The Hockey Alberta Foundation has played a key role in the success and growth of 1616, partnering with the Ladd Foundation through two donations totalling $120,000 in the last year.

"This program was recommended to the team by a family physician and we’re having a great experience. My son is very introverted and quiet, and it’s been great for helping him think about how to build more connections with his teammates... and the resilience aspect, seeing famous hockey players have a similar experience as him has been meaningful. At this age of 10-12 years old, they’re starting to understand the world and become self conscious, so it’s great."

1616 Parent/ Caregiver

"I would like to say thank you to the program... I can feel that my son is being shaped and developed mentally along his hockey path. It is much more difficult for parents to communicate or teach our children directly, especially when they are transitioning to teenagers. With the program saying it, the program, coaches and players are actually working as a team, and it seems quite effective. You have full support from our family. Cheers to 1616."

1616 Parent/ Caregiver

In the 2023 season 1616 expanded its reach. The program launched a school partnership with Edge School in Calgary where more than 40 families enrolled into a facilitated 1616 experience. The Ladd Foundation also took 1616 and partnered with Jumpstart to bring to bring the experience to new communities across Canada. On top of that, The Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers Foundations partnered with 1616 to bring expanded support and awareness to teams across the province, which resulted in more Alberta based teams participating than anywhere else in North America.

“Every parent wants the best for their kids, whether that’s opportunity or health,” Ladd said. “Unfortunately, not everyone is lucky enough to be able to provide those things to their children. We have great compassion for those parents and if we can alleviate some of the stress that comes with facing these issues, we want to help.”

For more information on 1616, registration or placing a donation please visit www.1616.org.

All 2011-born male players, registered with a Hockey Alberta-sanctioned Minor Hockey Association are now able to register for a Regional Camp and try out for the Prospects Cup.

REGISTER HERE >

Positions at the four Regional Camp tryouts are limited and awarded based on the order that registration is completed and confirmed in the online registration system. Regional Camps are scheduled for the weekend of April 12-14 at the following locations:

• South (Olds Sportsplex – Olds)
• Calgary (Don Hartman NESS – Calgary)
• Capital (The Meadows – Edmonton)
• North (Wally Fedun – Vegreville)

REGISTER IN THE CORRECT REGION

Prior to Regional Camp registration, please review the Prospects Cup registration directory to determine in which region your child resides.

2024 PROSPECTS CUP REGISTRATION DIRECTORY >

Athletes are only permitted to register for the region in which they reside and the position (goaltender, defence or forward) for which they wish to be considered for the Prospects Cup. Any athlete who registers for an incorrect region or position may have their registration refunded (less an admin fee) and is not guaranteed a spot at to the Regional Camp tryout, subject to position availability in the correct region.

Please ensure you have your athlete’s Alberta Health Number when registering. This is a required field. Player Hockey ID numbers are not required.

The cost to participate in a Regional Camp is $250 (plus tax and admin fee) and includes:

• Four ice sessions
• One practice jersey
• Three zoom webinars in March to help athletes prepare for the Regional Camp, and learn more about Short Term Competition, and the Team Alberta program.

Once registered, a confirmation email will be sent to the billing email. Athletes who register will be sent webinar information in February. Approximately one week prior to Regional Camp weekend, rosters and schedules for the tryouts are sent to each player.

REGIONAL CAMP WAIT LISTS

It is expected that registration will fill up quickly on January 22. In the event the region and position your child falls within, or the registration in its entirety is sold out at the time you try and register, do not attempt to register for another position or camp. Instead, please do the following:

• Email Hudson Kelly ([email protected]) to be added to a waitlist
• In your email, provide the following information for the player you are looking to add to the waitlist:
  • Full name,
  • Position (F,D,G),
  • Region (South, Calgary, Capital, North)
  • Date of Birth
  • Current team

PROSPECTS CUP

Two teams of 20 players are selected from each Regional Camp to compete at the Prospects Cup, May 8-12. The cost for those selected for the Prospects Cup is being finalized (usually approximately $1000 per player) and includes:

• 5 days and 4 nights of accommodations and meals (including busing to offsite meals) at the event
• One practice on Wednesday of the event
• One practice on either Thursday or Friday
• 4 games from Thursday – Sunday
• Team jersey and socks
• Team Alberta apparel

RED DEER – Hockey Alberta official Brayden Arcand was part of the officiating crew selected to work the World Junior A Challenge December 10-17 in Truro, Nova Scotia.

“It was a great experience. It was my first international experience in a while and Hockey Canada did a good job making sure that it was ran professionally,” Arcand said. “The volunteers and the town of Truro were great hosts and the support the tournament had was strong. It was a great overall experience for me.”

Not only was Arcand one of the few officials selected to referee games in the tournament, he was part of the crew that earned the right to officiate the gold medal final between Canada West and Canada East.

“I think any time an official gets asked to be part of a tournament, the end goal is to do the last game,” Arcand said. “Anytime you get selected it’s a really good feeling. It’s a feather in your cap for all the hard work you put in over the course of the tournament as well as the season. There are so many good officials to pick from, it was an honour to get selected.”

This isn’t the first high-level event in which Arcand has taken part. The 32-year-old has called games throughout several AJHL playoffs, an AJHL final and the Centennial Cup. He said the World Junior A Challenge is up there with those accomplishments.

“It’s hard for me to rank them honestly,” he said. “I think getting to officiate in a national championship such as the Centennial Cup is definitely an honour. The World Junior A Challenge has a different flair to it, it’s a little bit shorter and there is a smaller group of teams so there’s much more focus on each game…. I think it’d be hard to rank them because they’re all special in their own way and I’m happy to be part of them.”

Arcand has been an official since he was 13 and has made it part of his full-time occupation over the past 10 years.

“Right now, I’m just taking it day-by-day. You always try and set goals for yourself … and I’ve been very lucky to achieve some of those goals,” he said. “But with where I’m at with my career outside of hockey and my family, I think taking it day-by-day is the best thing for me right now.”

Numerous sports, including hockey, look to recruit new officials each year, but there are challenges, especially when it comes to abusive behaviour from coaches, players and fans.

“My brother was one of those officials that got abused as a young official and he quit,” Arcand said. “I don’t know why we’re so hard on our young officials …. At the end of the day, we were losing such a high number of officials.”

But Arcand also has a positive message for those who are hesitant to dip their toes into the officiating world.

“For me officiating helped me in a lot of different areas. It’s helped me with my communication, professionalism, and learning to be part of a team … there’s so many aspects that you can translate over to the real world that are very important. It also helped me stay close to the game I love. A lot of officials just love hockey and being part of it in any capacity is a plus. I think officiating is a good way of doing that, being able to balance your work and social life, I’ve gotten to travel all over North American to referee a hockey game so there are a lot of benefits that come with officiating as well. I always look back and am grateful to becoming an official because it helped me get to a lot of place I otherwise wouldn’t have gotten to as a player.”