hockey canada wrigley excel martin stlouis 2

‘Happy Hockeydays’ in Nova Scotia

The Maritime province will be receiving new equipment thanks to Excel Gum, the Wrigley ‘Happy Hockeydays’ contest and its grand-prize winner

Jason La Rose
|
March 1, 2018
|

The calendar says March and the holidays are a distant memory for most Canadians, but one Nova Scotia man got into the spirit of the season one last time, with the help of a Team Canada alumnus.

Halifax native Joe Head was the winner of the Wrigley ‘Happy Hockeydays’ contest, which offered fans the chance to win a $2,000 Pro Hockey Life shopping spree with 2014 Olympic gold medallist Martin St-Louis.

Head was gracious enough to donate his prize to Hockey Nova Scotia and its ‘Grow the Game’ initiatives, and joined St-Louis at the Pro Hockey Life at Vaughan Mills on Feb. 27 to select helmets, neck guards, sticks, gloves, pants, shoulder pads and more that will help get more kids on the ice and into Canada’s game.

“All these young kids that can’t afford hockey equipment, we’re going to get them some equipment to get started, to learn to skate and learn the game,” Head said. “Those [players] are our future.”

“I think it’s tremendous,” St-Louis added. “Some of these kids may never play hockey without acts of generosity like this – not just from Joe, but from Hockey Canada as well – so it’s a great thing.”

‘Grow the Game’ puts the focus on six areas in Nova Scotia – new Canadians, black youth, new female players, Aboriginal youth, special-needs players and sledge hockey – offering half-day camps that lead into a 12-week program to build not only hockey skills, but personal skills such as leadership and respect.

Programs like this are essential to the continued growth of hockey, not only in Nova Scotia but in thousands minor hockey associations in every corner of the country, and to ensuring every Canadian can play.

“Youth hockey is what’s important,” St-Louis said. “I coach youth hockey, and for me it’s all about the passion for the game, because it’s these kids who are going to come up and keep the game going.”

St-Louis played 16 seasons in the NHL, winning a Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2004. In addition to his 2014 gold, he also wore the red-and-white of Team Canada at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and 2006 Olympics, and the IIHF World Championship in 2008 and 2009, winning a pair of silver medals.

For more information:

Esther Madziya
Manager, Communications
Hockey Canada

(403) 284-6484 

[email protected] 

Spencer Sharkey
Manager, Communications
Hockey Canada

(403) 777-4567

[email protected]

Jeremy Knight
Manager, Corporate Communications
Hockey Canada

(647) 251-9738

[email protected]

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