Kids can spend a week living like a Hab
Getting an opportunity to put on a jersey emblazoned with the illustrious CH logo and hit the ice is a once-in-a-lifetime experience only a select few have enjoyed, and there’s a camp in Montreal that will allow your child to do just that.
After five days in the Canadiens Hockey Development program, children aged 7 to 14 will feel like they’re part of the team. Whatever their skill level, the Canadiens summer hockey school, presented by le Dindon du Québec, provides kids with a chance to play and learn with Canadiens Alumni coaches, and do it in the same state-of-the-art Brossard facility used by the team. They’ll learn what it means to truly wear the CH and to fully experience the Bell Sports Complex, including a visit of the same locker rooms and gym used by the pros. They’ll even have the chance to play other sports.
There are three week-long programs in July at either the recreational (for children of all skill levels in Novice, Atom, Peewee and Bantam) and elite (for AAA, AA, BB and CC) levels. Week one runs from July 9 to 13, week two from July 16 to 20, and week three from July 23 to 27. Kids in the recreational camp will receive 2.5 hours a day of icetime with qualified instructors, lunch, off-ice exercises, seminars, a visit from Youppi, and a Canadiens kit with jersey, socks, t-shirt and shorts. The elite camp has the same features, only it’s a high-level camp with an added emphasis on improving individual skill sets.
Not only will kids come away having learned more about the essentials like puck-handling, skating and shooting, but they’ll also gain a greater sense of the intangibles that make a professional hockey player great, like teamwork, respect and sportsmanship. It’s as much an education in basic hockey skills as it is a window into what it’s like to live like a hockey star 24/7.
Kids come from around the world and the rest of the country to participate in this camp and feel the excitement of putting on the famous Habs jersey. The camps are co-ed, but there’s also a girl’s camp from August 13 to 17. It’s a special experience for campers that they’ ll never forget, even for those who go on to play hockey professionally.
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