Hockey gives back across Alberta

Alberta’s hockey community is always at its best during the holiday season, and we’ve asked Minor Hockey Associations and teams from across Alberta to share their stories of giving back to the community with us. If you would like to share your team’s story of giving back during the holidays, please email [email protected] with details and photos.

Airdrie Atom 1

The Airdrie Atom 1 team purchased $780 worth of groceries for the Davis ‘Fill the truck’ event, where all donations were provided to the Airdrie Food Bank.

Airdrie Atom 2 Red

Airdrie’s Atom Tier 2 Red went shopping for pillows to donate to the Airdrie Lioness Club.

Airdrie Atom and Midget Female

The Airdrie Female Atom and Midget girls teams were able to raise funds to purchase 808 turkeys to donate to the Airdrie Food Bank this holiday season.

Airdrie Peewee Female B

Airdrie’s Female Pee Wee B donated their time assisting to fill backpacks for the Stephen’s Backpacks Society for Children In Need.

Airdrie Peewee 4

Airdrie’s Pee Wee Tier 4 purchased goods and made up Care Packages for the less fortunate in their community this holiday season.

Beaverlodge Midget Female and Male

On December 22, the Beaverlodge Minor Hockey Midget Male and Midget Female teams hosted a fun game against each other, including a game with our youngest Initiation players during the intermission. The Midget teams chose to donate the proceeds from the 50/50 during this game to the local food bank in Beaverlodge, with $492.50 donated. The community came together to support our two teams playing against each other.

Bow Valley Peewee AA Timberwolves

The Bow Valley Timberwolves Peewee AA team hosted a ’Battle of the Badges’ game between local firefighters/EMS and police, raising funds for ’Project All In’, which supports first responders’ mental health and well-being. More Photos >

Calgary Fire Red Bantam Elite

The Calgary Fire Red Bantam Elite team have spread holiday cheer by bringing gifts to the Calgary Women’s Shelter and sang carols to the residents at Brentwood Care Facility.

Calgary Midget AAA North Stars

The Calgary Midget AAA Northstars have been busy giving back to the community this holiday season. The team, coaches, and parents participated in Canadian Blood Service’s #HockeyGivesBlood campaign, with seven 17 year-olds giving blood for the first time. The team also spent time shoveling sidewalks, ran a toy and coat drive to contribute to Project Warmth, and held a special mother’s game day for the leading ladies in their lives.

Calgary North Stars Minor Midget AAA Blazers

The CNHA MM AAA Blazers spent an evening packing backpacks at Stephen’s Backpacks for some of Calgary’s less fortunate children.

Edmonton Girls Hockey 603 and 605

The EG603 and EG605 teams faced off earlier this month, and challenged each other to bring food bank donations to the game.

Edmonton Girls Hockey Peewee 505 and 506

EG506 went head to head with EG505 for a league game on December 14, so they decided to add in a donation challenge. Both teams chose Boyle Street as our recipients of donations for their Donations In Kind program. They were able to fill a truck with topper to the brim, including the back seat, with all of the donations.

Fort McMurray Bouchier Peewee AA

The Fort McMurray Bouchier Peewee AA Junior Oil Barons supported the Centre of Hope this Holiday season. They served homemade chilli and soup to the patrons, and presented them with a cheque for $3,060 from fundraising efforts.

Fort Saskatchewan Midget AA Rangers

The Fort Saskatchewan Midget AA Rangers were busy helping the Fort Saskatchewan Food Bank on December 21st. The team packed nearly 200 hampers including everything needed for a Christmas meal and toys for the little ones into volunteers’ vehicles for delivery.

Glenlake Hawks Atom 1 Green

The Glenlake Hawks Atom 1 Green team came together to adopt a family through the Northeast Calgary Adopt-A-Family Society, providing a family of seven necessity items to ensure they will be warm this holiday season, and beyond. From shopping to wrapping to delivery the Hawks were motivated to make this Christmas a little brighter for this family.

Grande Prairie Peewee A2 Arctic Crane Knights

Every second Sunday, the Pee Wee A2 Arctic Crane Knights get together and cook, bake and prep food for the Sunrise House in Grande Prairie. The Sunrise House is our local youth shelter that provides a home for homeless youth between the ages of 12-17. The players are required to do the shopping and all the work required in order to provide a nice meal for the youth at the Shelter.

Grande Prairie Atom 1 Knights

On November 16, the Grande Prairie Atom A Knights went out into the community to ring the Kettle Bells for the Salvation Army. Groups of players spread out through various lcoations in the city ringing the bells, accepting donations, and handing out candy canes.

Grande Prairie Bantam AA Higson Dental Group Storm

The Grande Prairie Bantam AA Higson Dental Group Storm have been spending the whole first half of the season giving back to the community. They have donated over $500 to Kev’s Kids, donated pet food and supplies to Bandaged Paws, picked up litter in the community, donated to the GP Hospital Foundation, donated food and clothing to the homeless, helped with the Festival of Trees set-up, accepted donations for the Salvation Army, volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters, and are supporting a teammate whose Father is battling cancer.

Lacoka Bantam Female

The Lacoka Bantam females hosted a tournament last weekend and accepted donations for the local food back. All teams involved were very supportive - Leduc, Red Deer, Lloydminster, Stettler, and West Central.

Lethbridge Timbit Pirates

The Lethbridge Timbit Pirates have joined the Lethbridge Foodbank’s "Snowball Effect" Food drive for the holiday season. The team had heard about the food drive and decided that it would be a perfect way to give back to the community. All players were asked to donate some non-perishables and bring them to weekly Saturday practice. The team was very happy to learn that they would be helping out less fortunate families have meals during the Christmas season.

Medicine Hat Atom Black Hounds

The Medicine Hat Atom CAHL Black Hounds made a difference in the life of a local family this Christmas. In the 2nd annual "Giving Christmas Away" theme, the team adopted a family, raising close to $1400 that allowed them to make a deserving family’s Christmas dreams come true. They shopped together, wrapped together, and have learned a valuable lesson of giving back to the community through a sport that has taught them what it means to "be a good person".

Medicine Hat Peewee A Female Wildcats

The Medicine Hat Peewee A Wildcats gave back to their community by ringing kettle bells for The Salvation Army on December 19.

Medicine Hat Peewee B Female Wildcats

The Medicine Hat Peewee B Wildcats have been busy with their Kindness Campaign this season, beginning with sharing homemade cookies at the Irvine rink on Random Act of Kindness Day. They have also rang kettle bells and raised money for the Salvation Army, decorating the Masterpiece Southland Meadows retirement home for Christmas, shovelled neighbours walkways, and sent out a Christmas card to every Meals on Wheels recipient.

Olds Bantam AA Grizzlys

The Olds Bantam AA Grizzlys players donated $465 to the Olds and District Christmas Angels. They collected this money by having dressing room/team standards, and if a player falters on these, they need to donate. Many of the players families added to the total once the players decided to donate the funds instead of having a team Christmas party. The team also headed to the Mountain View Seniors Lodge to fill over 90 stockings for the residents.

Onoway Bantam

Over the holiday season, the Onoway Bantam team decided to help the neighbouring community by building 100 food hampers for those in need. This is sponsored by the Alberta Beach lions club. The players helped unload the trailers full of food, sort accordingly, and help fill up the hampers.

Peace Country Storm and Red Deer Sutter Fund Chiefs Midget Elite

The Peace Country Storm and the Red Deer Sutter Fund Chiefs gave back to a family who needed some help during the holidays. Both teams donated food, water, blankets and $525.00 in gift cards. The Sutter Fund Chiefs also prepared and served a meal to approximately 150 people at Potters Hands in downtown Red Deer.

Prairie Thunder Midgets

Prairie Thunder Midgets hosted their second annual Prairie Thunder Alumni game on December 22. The local charity this year was the Brooks Elks Canada annual toy drive, which raised over $300 in cash and donations of unwrapped toys. We like to thank everybody for coming out.

Red Deer Atom A Cambridge Chiefs and Minor Midget AAA North Star Chiefs

On December 9, 2019, the Red Deer Cambridge Atom A and North Star Chiefs MM AAA spent the evening getting to know each other and the residents at Extendicare Michener Hill. The older players had the opportunity to be mentors to the young Atom players while playing games with the senior citizen residents. On December 14th, the Atoms had a follow up event where they went to cheer on their Minor Midget AAA buddies during their home game. The Atom players created personalized signs and shared snacks and smiles that led to a fun night for everyone involved.

Red Deer Atom B RCM Transport Chiefs

On Dec. 11, the Red Deer Atom B RCM Transport Chiefs met at Extendicare Michener Hill in Red Deer to help bring all the residents to the common area, where a live band performed. They then played some pool noodle hockey with one hockey loving resident. After the band performed, the team ushered all of the residents back to their rooms, and helped the band carry out their equipment, put away all the chairs, and tidy up.

Red Deer Bantam Elite and Novice Chiefs

The Red Deer Bantam Elite Sutter Fund and Novice Chiefs partnership program saw the two female teams get together and create care packages for families and their children staying at Ronald McDonald House. These care packages will be placed in the “Magic Room” where they are available to families staying at the House to provide a small sense of comfort. Afterwards the volunteers of Ronald McDonald House took time to educate the girls on their program & share stories of families that have been helped.

Rocky Mountain House Renegades

During their home game on December 20, the Rocky Renegades held an event called Renegades Help Fight the Cold Weather! The team collected warm fuzzy toques, mittens, and socks for people in need. They donated 55 warm items to our local Mountain Rose Women’s Shelter on January 2. The Renegades are hoping that their efforts can help keep several families a little bit warmer this winter.

Rocky Mountain House Royals

The Rocky Mountain House Royals (from left to right) #7 Assistant Captain Colton Bradshaw, #19 Captain Colin Muyres, #16 Assistant Captain Jason Roberts and #4 forward Hunter Girard dropped off 126lbs of food at the Lords Food Bank after their game on December 15th vs. Kneehill.

Rocky Mountain Raiders Midget AAA Female

For the second year in a row, the Rocky Mountain Raiders Midget AAA Female hockey team partnered up with a local Supportive Living Seniors Care Home in Okotoks, Tudor Manor. The group spent the day interacting and spending time with the residents while making gingerbread houses.

SE439 Millwood Bruins

The SE439 Millwoods Bruins ran a bottle drive, using the funds raised to purchase gifts for seniors who may not have anyone to give them a gift on Christmas.

SEAC Minor Midget AAA Tigers

On December 20, the SEAC Minor Midget AAA Tigers went to Chinook Village in Medicine Hat to deliver wrapped gifts to seniors in assisted living. The team collected gifts for seniors in need at a home game in Medicine Hat on November 16 at the Hockey Hounds Arena, and then worked with the Santa for Seniors organization to deliver these gifts to seniors in our community of Medicine Hat. The team delivered gifts, sang a few songs, and visited with some of the seniors. The team also volunteered at the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen, serving a hot meal to around 100 people. They helped with serving a meal and coffee, visiting with people as well as doing dishes and clean up of the centre after the meal.

Sexsmith Atom 1 Vipers

The Sexsmith Atom A Vipers helped out in the Town of Sexsmith’s Reverse Santa Parade on December 7th. Residents of the town put out bags of non-perishable food and toys on their front steps for donation to the community Christmas hampers. The Vipers walked through the town collecting the donated items and loaded them onto the horse drawn wagons. The Christmas hampers are given to families in Sexsmith and the surrounding area that need a little extra help during the Christmas season.

Sherwood Park Atom 2 Havoc

The Sherwood Park Atom 2 Havoc helped spread some holiday cheer by visiting a couple of local Seniors Centers. The team enjoyed sharing some cookies and holiday treats with the residents and spent some time talking and visiting with the seniors in the afternoon.

Sherwood Park Peewee 1 Aces

The Sherwood Park Peewee Aces have been busy giving back this season! On October 5, they spent the day collecting used sports equipment around Sherwood Park and area as part of SportsCentral’s Dave’s Drive, in honor of Dave Semenko. Following that, on November 13^th and November 28^th they participated in Strathcona County’s Snow Busters program where they spent the evenings shovelling driveways for those in need. Lastly, the Aces dedicated a few hours to helping our local sports store - Sin Bin Sports - move to their brand new location! The boys hauled and organized all the hockey sticks for Mike (the owner) to show their support for Sin Bin Sports and all they do for our hockey community.

Sherwood Park Peewee Assassins

The Sherwood Park Peewee Assassins went door to door and collected food items for the Stratchona Food Bank. Their efforts brought in almost 740lbs of food and just over $100 in donations.

Sherwood Park Bantam 2 Royals

The Sherwood Park Royals bantam team spread some holiday cheer by helping out at their local food bank. They were helping to unload food donations from the local “Stuff A Bus” food drive.

Simons Valley Midget 2 Storm

The Simons Valley Midget 2 Storm and their families organized a bottle drive which raised $1,020. They used the money raised to purchase gifts for the Toys for Angels campaign.

St. Albert Raiders AA Bears

The St. Albert Raiders AA Bears hosted a food bank drive and game against the AA Blues Sunday evening where a total of 1932 lbs if food were collected for the St. Albert food bank. Along with a cash donation of $330.

St. Paul Bantam 1 Canadiens

Every year, a bantam or midget team from St. Paul Minor Hockey helps out with the local Christmas hamper drive. This year, the Bantam 1 Canadiens team delivered hampers out to the local people in need around the area.

Tofield Titans Peewee 2

On December 20, the Tofield Titans Peewee 2 team led a fundraiser at their local Midget game against Whitecourt. The fundraiser was for Elaiza Belda, a grade 6 student at Tofield School (where many of the players attend) who is battling Stage 4 bone cancer. The Peewee 2 team collected donations throughout the Midget game and the weekend before at their home tournament, raising over $2,000 for the family to help off- set the cost of spending many hours at the Stollery Hospital in Edmonton, AB. They hope that this helps the Belda family and allows them to concentrate on Elaiza’s health and wellness.

Trails West Bantam 5 Wolves

The Trails West Bantam 5 Wolves hosted The Season of Giving Invitational on December 9-12, where they would battle with Crowfoot, Bow River, and The Knights in the spirit of play and friendly competition. In lieu of medals, the teams were awarded a cash donation, which would be made to a charity of each team’s choice. Trails West played for Kids Cancer Care, Crowfoot for the Ronald McDonald House, and Bow River and The Knights for the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation. In addition, all teams came together to donate filled backpacks for The Mustard Seed.

Trails West Novice 1 Red

The Trails West 1 Novice 1 Red players decided that rather than having a gift exchange amongst themselves this year, they wanted to select gifts to donate to other less fortunate children, so the team donated their gifts to the Salvation Army’s Toy Angels program.

Trails West Peewee 2 Red

The Trails West PW Red 2 team spent a winter evening at a Silvera senior’s centre playing games and entertaining the residents. The players enjoyed interacting with the seniors and trying the Silvera Olympic games. Some amazing stories were shared and the players took away valuable life lessons. The seniors encouraged them to keep up with their sports and always work hard. It was a wonderful night for both residents and players.

RED DEER - Seventeen of the top 2001-2006 born female athletes living north of the 55th parallel have been selected to represent Team Alberta North for the 2020 Arctic Winter Games.

Team Alberta North Female Roster >

Simon Juckes and Stacy Cosgrove will serve as Team Alberta North Female’s Head Coach and Assistant Coach, respectively. Team Alberta North took home the bronze medal at the 2018 tournament. Selection camps ran December 20-22 in Manning, and saw over 50 athletes turn out to compete for a spot with the team.

Hockey Alberta’s Junior Female squad, along with a Bantam Male team, will compete in the Arctic Winter Games March 15-21 in Whitehorse, YK.

Staging weekend for both teams runs February 7-9.

The Arctic Winter Games are the world’s largest northern multi-sport and cultural event. The Arctic Winter Games are a celebration of athletic completion, culture, friendship and cooperation between northern contingents. Athletic competition features sports that enjoy worldwide popularity alongside traditional Arctic Sports and Dene games. The cultural component is a pillar of the Games, featuring visual arts, dance, ceremonies and galas with participants from across the circumpolar region.

Each hockey team is comprised of 17 players and two coaches. Teams participate in a round-robin tournament to determine seeding for medal-round pairings. One gold ulu is awarded in each division. Teams that regularly participate in ice hockey include Alaska, Yukon, Alberta North, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

Eligible communities for the Arctic Winter Games are located North of the 55th Parallel.

RED DEER – A new partnership between Indigenous Sport Council Alberta (ISCA) and Hockey Alberta will provide improved and enhanced opportunities for Indigenous hockey participants across the province.

The partnership, which was formalized in November, has a two-pronged focus:

• Working together to facilitate the growth and development of Indigenous hockey across Alberta; and
• Operating the Team Alberta Female and Male squads attending and competing in the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships.

“For Hockey Alberta, this partnership is an opportunity to grow our game for Indigenous players and communities across the province,” said Winston Delorme, Chair of Hockey Alberta’s Indigenous Hockey Committee. “We always appreciate the opportunity to partner with other provincial organizations, but ultimately this is about the players, and ensuring they get the chance to participate and compete.”

Off the ice, work undertaken by the Indigenous Hockey Committee will be the focus. A key goal of the committee is to provide a forum for Indigenous communities to discuss and develop recommendations for improved opportunities for Indigenous players.

The ISCA will be represented on the committee in its role of advocating and promoting increased participation opportunities for youth and leaders at all levels.

“ISCA has been working hard this past year to develop relationships with our Provincial Sport bodies and it is only natural this includes a partnership with Hockey Alberta. With Al Blackwater as our representative on the Indigenous Hockey Committee, we feel very strongly this partnership will be in the best interests of our youth across the province,” said Jake Hendy, Executive Director of ISCA.

On the ice, Hockey Alberta will be overseeing and coordinating the selection process for the players and coaches representing the province at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships in Regina in May. That process is already underway, and includes recruiting and selecting the Indigenous coaching staff, registration and selection camps for players, team training, and the procurement of equipment and uniforms.

Details on registration, selection camp dates and locations, and other information pertaining to the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships will be posted in the coming weeks at hockeyalberta.ca and indigenoussportsalberta.com.

RED DEER - Hockey Alberta is pleased to announce the male rosters for the 2020 Alberta Winter Games.

Eight teams will take to the ice in Airdrie on February 14-17, with 160 male athletes born in 2007 ready to take the first step in the Team Alberta program.

2020 Alberta Winter Games Male Rosters >

Twenty players comprise each roster, along with volunteers serving as head coach, assistant coaches, coach mentor, and director of operations, as well as four trainers. Rosters were selected based on performances at regional camps held December 6-8 in Vegreville, Edmonton, Olds and Calgary.

The 2020 Alberta Winter Games female rosters were announced on December 3.

The Alberta Winter Games is a multi-sport event for developing athletes, aged 11-17 years old. The Winter Games were first hosted in 1976 in Banff, and occur each even-numbered year. The athletes are selected to represent the eight zones in Alberta in 20 sports such as hockey, badminton, gymnastics, skiing and skating. Hockey Alberta coordinates the ice hockey portion of the Winter Games, as a core segment of its Development Program.

RED DEER - Seventeen of the top 2005 and 2006-born male athletes living north of the 55th parallel have been selected to represent Team Alberta North for the 2020 Arctic Winter Games.

Team Alberta North Male Roster >

Damon Jeffs and Kevin Kuryluk will serve as Team Alberta North Male’s Head Coach and Assistant Coach, respectively. Jeffs returns to Team Alberta North after winning a silver medal in 2018 as an Assistant Coach. Selection camps ran December 6-8 in Fairview, and saw over 90 athletes turn out to compete for a spot with Team Alberta North.

Hockey Alberta’s Bantam Male squad, along with a Junior Female team, will compete in the Arctic Winter Games March 15-21 in Whitehorse, YK.

Female team selection camp runs December 20-22 in Manning.

The Arctic Winter Games are the world’s largest northern multi-sport and cultural event. The Arctic Winter Games are a celebration of athletic completion, culture, friendship and cooperation between northern contingents. Athletic competition features sports that enjoy worldwide popularity alongside traditional Arctic Sports and Dene games. The cultural component is a pillar of the Games, featuring visual arts, dance, ceremonies and galas with participants from across the circumpolar region.

Each hockey team is comprised of 17 players and two coaches. Teams participate in a round-robin tournament to determine seeding for medal-round pairings. One gold ulu is awarded in each division. Teams that regularly participate in ice hockey include Alaska, Yukon, Alberta North, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

Eligible communities for the Arctic Winter Games are located North of the 55th Parallel.