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Lacing Up


Lacing Up Teaches Novices Important Off-Ice Skills

RED DEER – Novice-aged hockey players in Alberta will benefit from an exciting new partnership between Hockey Alberta and the Respect Group.

Lacing Up is a fun, interactive, online, game-based program that helps Novice-aged players learn the fundamentals of being a successful, respectful young hockey player. Lacing Up focuses on the skills players need to know off the ice to stay healthy, play fair, support their teammates, respect officials, and contribute positively to their team.

Lacing Up focuses on the important off-ice skills that kids need to grow into respectful young athletes and allows coaches to focus on the fundamental hockey skills and drills that makes great players on the ice,” said Wayne McNeil, co-founder of Respect Group.

Lacing Up is an hour-long program that features stories, adventures, games, and quizzes “hosted” by five young animated characters and their coach. Topics include:

- Long Term Player Development: growth and development, nutrition, hydration, and sleep.

- Playing fair: the Hockey Canada Fair Play Pledge, respect for teammates, officials, and opponents, and recognizing that everyone makes mistakes.

- Bullying: types of bullying, and what to do if you are the target of bullying, or if you see it happening to someone else.

- Respect: for the game, each other, and ourselves.

The program is built around five modules accessed through a graphical table of contents. Content for the modules was created in consultation with Hockey Canada personnel, coaches, teachers, players and psychologists.

Novice-aged players in Alberta, and their parents, will be the first in Canada to have the opportunity to experience this free, optional program.

“For Hockey Alberta, the new Lacing Up program supports our new Vision statement, Hockey for Life. When our young players have a positive experience to start their careers, they are more likely to continue playing as they get older. We believe Lacing Up provides that positive opportunity for Novice-aged players across the province,” said Mike Klass, Senior Manager Business Operations for Hockey Alberta.

Lacing Up can be accessed through the Hockey Alberta website (www.hockeyalberta.ca) by going to the Players tab, and clicking on Lacing Up.

News

Female Roster Announced For 2016 Arctic Winter Games

RED DEER - The road to Greenland begins now for 17 of Alberta’s top female athletes living north of the 55th Parallel, as Hockey Alberta has announced the Team Alberta North roster for the 2016 Arctic Winter Games.

The Junior Female squad, along with a Bantam Male team, will compete in the Arctic Winter Games March 6-11, 2016. The Games are being hosted in Nuuk, Greenland, but hockey will be played in Iqaluit, Nunavut.

Click here to view the Female Team Alberta North Roster.

The female team selection camp ran January 8-10 in Slave Lake. Male selection camp ran December 11-13 in High Prairie, click here to view the Male Team Alberta North Roster.

"Selection camp this past weekend in Slave Lake went very well," said Blake Cosgrove, Regional Centre Northwest Consultant for Hockey Alberta. "We were quite impressed with the level of talent we saw on the ice, and are excited about the squad that will represent Team Alberta North at the games."

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

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 age/sex class. Teams that regularly participate in ice hockey include Alaska, Yukon, Alberta North, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

Communities eligible to participate in the Arctic Winter Games are located North of the 55th Parallel. Click here to view a list of eligible communities.

Click here for more information on the 2016 Arctic Winter Games.