GROUP OF THE MONTH

Gloria Mckague started the mitten tree almost 23 years ago, and the response has always been great. An artificial tree is set up and members and curlers fill the branches with mittens, scarves socks and toques. A school or community program is selected, and around Christmas or New Year's, Gloria delivers all that was donated.

“This year I had the good fortune to meet the manager at the McCauley outdoor rink and he mentioned youth often show up to skate or play hockey with inadequate winter outerwear and it seemed to both of us that we could help each other. I delivered over 200 pieces of outerwear from the mitten tree to him and immediately youth asked if they could have a toque or scarf and mittens. The Crestwood members are always very generous and there is always a need for what is donated.” 

The U15AA team qualified for the Silver Sticks Finals in Pembroke, November 25-27. They went undefeated, beating Gloucester Rangers (4-1) in the semis and the Nepean Raiders in the final (2-0). Good luck in the finals!

We are a team of 13-year-old hockey players from Toronto and we recently lost our hockey coach to ALS. ALS is a terminal disease which takes away a person’s ability to talk, walk and eventually breathe. Despite the challenges Coach Steve faced, he continued to coach us – using a text-to-speech app when he lost his voice and working the gate after he lost his ability to skate. Coach Steve was living proof of all the lessons he taught us through hockey: be bold and brave, keep moving, and never stop fighting. To honour our coach and help find a cure, we created a fundraiser called "Buck-a-Puck for ALS." Our goal is to raise $1 Million Dollars for ALS research and care in Canada!  

Watch our video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=QM-GqSJVN_k

Buck-a-Puck for ALS is a nation-wide, hockey-themed fundraiser that raises money in a fun, active and competitive way! Participants are required to shoot a hockey puck for every dollar they raise. Prizes will be given to the participants and teams who raise the most money (and shoot the most pucks!). Some prizes include a coaching session with the Toronto Maple Leaf’s defence coach, a 3 day canoe trip, a $1000 Rec Room experience, a signed Mitch Marner jersey, a PS5 console, an iPhone 13 and more! 100% of the money raised will be donated to the Stevie Fever for ALS Foundation in partnership with the ALS Society of Canada.

Learn more: www.buckapuckforals.com

Next Shift Canada is a not-for-profit organization working to make hockey accessible to every child possible. Our organization is completely volunteer run and we provide a variety of services focused on at-risk and underprivileged youth. Our organization is comprised of former professional athletes and many serving Canadian Forces Members. We are proud to say that 100% of the funds raised go directly into our programs, supporting youth and making the great game of hockey more accessible to all.

My name is Sylvia Kyriacou. I am one of the founders of the Shinny Sisters. It all started in Jasper while sitting in a hot tub after a day of Christmas crafting about 20 years ago. I met a woman by the name of Evelyn. Discovering that we both had boys the same age playing hockey and how we would love to be on the ice instead of on the sidelines, we decided to recruit our friends to start our own team. Our skill levels vary from first time skaters to very skilled on the ice. We have come a long way in 20 years. I feel blessed to be able to play Shinny with an amazing group of women. Our ages range from late 20’s to 70’s. One of our goalies played up until the age of 85. We all look forward to hockey season every year and welcoming new players to our hockey family.

The Ottawa Lady 67’s is a high-performance female hockey development program. Their mission is to develop young female hockey players so that they may reach their highest potential at all age groups. The program continues to prove its success on the ice and in the classroom. 29 of 55 2021-22 Lady 67's players were named to the Program All Academic Team, a title awarded to members who have a school average of 86 or higher (A/A+, 4.0 GPA) based on the courses they have completed during the 2021-22 season. Additionally, 11 players on last year’s team have also committed to play University hockey in the 2022-23 or 2023-24 seasons. The 2022-23 team intends to carry on with the same success.

The Lady 67's Program has been hard at work all summer with their Summer Development Program available for all u15AA, u18AA, and u22AA Lady 67's selected for the 2022-23 season, and Alumni of the Lady 67's Program.

A special shoutout goes out to Jr. Lady 67, #15 Kyla Brennan, and her family for opening their home this summer to 2 Ukrainian Refugees to help them build their new lives in Canada. Andrii and Anastasia are from Kharkiv and had to flee their country because of the war with Russia. This experience has resulted in the Brennan family growing by 2, and in turn, the Lady 67's family growing as well. The Brennan's are fundraising to continue to help Andrii and Anastasiia as these two wonderful people tackle their next hurdle, setting up their home. Click here if you'd like to learn more about supporting their new journey!

The LS7 Sticks in for Charity Road Hockey Tournament is unlike the rest, as players sign-up and register individually (not in teams of 6). Taking place on Saturday, July 9, the event kicks off with the opening ceremonies where sticks will be “pulled,” and teams will be made up of players of all different skill sets, abilities and hockey experience. Teams will include professional hockey players, Olympians, adults, and kids (over 10 years old.) We want everyone – all ages, genders, and skill levels – to be able to play competitively! 

All proceeds are in support of KidSport Ontario.

The Ottawa HERricanes are a group of Kanata/Stittsville girls who used to play together in different years throughout high school. All of us can say that hockey brings us together and it always feels like nothing’s changed every time we see each other on the ice!

Setting up this summer team was a great way to get us all back in touch. Road to the playoffs!

The 6/7 class at Valmont Academy in King's Point, Newfoundland planned and hosted a Winter Classic to raise money to be donated to the town of King's Point to help pay for a covering to help shelter our outdoor community rink from the weather. Our rink is cleared and cared for by members of the community, including the fire hall, and is well taken care of throughout the winter. Many students play hockey, figure skate, or just enjoy a casual skate, and the rink is often used during physical education classes at Valmont Academy for skating or curling.

What started out as a very small plan thought up by the 13 grade 6/7s and proposed to town council quickly played out as a large outdoor community event, including food and a bonfire. All of our items were donated by community members, and the students played a large role in making the food, as well as organising 2 hockey games, one for youth and another for adults. 

We are proud to say that we raised just over $1,500.00 in donations to go toward the rink!

Easton Harris is a huge sledge hockey fan and has an awesome and supportive team! Last September, Easton was diagnosed with severe and rare Aplastic Anemia, a bone marrow failure that requires a bone marrow transplant to fix. Not able to continue to play, his sledge hockey team has been amazing by reaching out and making sure he has their support and love. Easton's had the support of so many, including his friend, Canadian Paralympian Tyrone Henry made him smile big time when he surprised Easton with a visit during some rented the ice. Tyrone brought him a signed Team Canada (sledge hockey) jersey! 

Easton talks about his team all the time and can't wait to get back on the ice. Next time he sees them he'll have iPlayHockey hats to share. Easton has been a rockstar through his treatments and you too can join his team! He's looking for 75 blood donations and more people to sign up to become stem cell donors that may help save lives. He started "Easton's Hockey Fight for Life" to raise awareness of the importance of blood donation. 

Chris Howie started the Newmarket Lions Park Community Rink eight winters ago to give back to his community and to provide a place for children of all backgrounds to have access to a great rink. Chris runs the rink by age group so that young children can skate with their friends and others their age without feeling intimidated by older kids or adults flying around taking hard shots.

The rink is run by volunteers and everyone pitches in to help maintain the rink and shovel it after use. Chris, who didn't have access to hockey growing up as his family was unable to afford it, uses the rink as a Community platform to raise donations for Newmarket Food Pantry and for Belinda's Place Women's Shelter. 

Thanks to the hard work from Chris and the team to keep this beloved spot a part of their community!

The 2019-20 Goulbourn Atom C Rockets is an awesome group of girls and a great team.

They have adopted the three R's as a code for their team:

• Respect - treat everyone - teammates, opponents, coaches, officials, parents - with respect
• Relentless - work hard, never give up
• Rock on - have fun, enjoy your teammates, build friendships, that’s why we are here

They have had success on and off the ice and have had a lot of fun along the way!

When the TomCats Women's Hockey kicked off the 2021-2022 season, there were smiles as far as the eye could see. In addition to the Rockstar TomCats, fifteen members from the recent TomCats "Learn to Play" program joined on the ice. The interest in women's hockey and learning the game increases every year. The TomCats try their best to accommodate as many players as they can but still have players on the waitlist. Shoutout to the team of incredible volunteer coaches and assistant coaches. They ran a great practice with skills and drills, that really kicked our off season butts. Great to be back at it!

In three of the past four years (only missing one year due to COVID), the Richmond Fire Hockey Club from Richmond, British Columbia has stepped up to play hockey all day to raise funds in support of awareness and education for mental health for first responders. The tournament is organized by Surrey Fire Fighters Association and participants include a number of fire departments located in Vancouver and the surrounding areas. Proud of these guys!

The U15 Rideau St. Lawrence Kings AA hockey team is ready for a fast-paced season! Under the leadership of a great coaching staff, the boys have already shown they are prepared to work hard and they are dedicated to their individual and team development. They will work together to support one another and do the best and be the best both on and off the ice.