Local Hockey for Beginners participants got a great send off to finish their 2023-24 season. Due to detrimental weather cancelling the programs intended final day Director Paul McLean and his instructors brained stormed an idea to put together a jamboree event at Memorial Gardens this past weekend.
“We were able to get two hours of ice time at Memorial Gardens and thanks to the generosity of a lot of people we were able to make it a really fun day for the players and their families,” says McLean.
He says even though the Battalion were out of town that weekend, General Manager Adam Dennis did what he could to be involved. McLean says Dennis was able to gather some of the game day volunteers to set up the tank so the players could skate out onto the ice from underneath it, just like the Battalion do during home games.
McLean added Sarge was there to hand out medals to the players when they finished their sessions, and they got to skate alongside a couple of the Nipissing Lakers Men’s Hockey players as well.
McLean says the local hockey teams have always been supportive of this program.
“We get a couple of Battalion players out once a week to our Wednesday sessions. We’ve had Nipissing Lakers players with us for the last seven years, even before I took over the program so credit goes to (Head Coach) Mike McParland for continuing that partnership. I think the university students really get engaged because some of them are taking Teachers Ed or are looking at working with kids and students in some capacity down the line and this is a great opportunity for them to work on those skills. We’re lucky to have all of these players involved,” says McLean.
McLean adds the Jr. Lakers (formerly Ice Boltz) players work with the program as well including Sydney Olsen. “She’s a dedicated volunteer who helps out. People say ‘kids these days don’t get out enough or give back’ but you watch her interacting with these kids and she just gets it. She’s the one running drills and guiding them through what they are supposed to be doing and so we really couldn’t run this program without people like her.”
McLean says this event shows how dedicated people in North Bay are to working together to make things happen for a good cause.
“I called the three franchise owners of the local Tim Hortons – who already do so much by donating the jersey, socks, and medals to the program, and I said ‘I know it is short notice and I don’t want to overwhelm your staff, but what do I need to do to make sure we can serve hot chocolate and have donuts at this event?’ Within five minutes they had it figured out and all I had to do was show up to the location on Seymour the morning of the event and we were taken care of with hot chocolate, Timbits, cups and everything.”
McLean says despite organizing the event on short notice, it was amazing to see it all come together.
“It’s something I would like to see happen more often now and we’d love to be able to work with the Battalion and the city to move the Hockey for Beginners program over to Memorial Gardens because there is a lot more space to be utilized there and these events help showcase that willingness to work together to accomplish these goals. Regardless, the fact the kids could get their medals and stand in front of that Battalion backdrop or skate under the tank, those are things the kids should get to experience and I’m glad they did.”
MacLean continues, “I got great feedback and everyone was so complimentary of the event and you could definitely feel the excitement from the kids and their families from just being in the Gardens.”
