Ex-Oiler Ference helps launch Free Hockey program for kids

EDMONTON Former Edmonton Oilers captain Andrew Ference stood in awe inside Lauderdale Elementary School as 15 energetic Grades 3-6 students impressively taped their brand-new hockey sticks for the first time.

These 15 new hockey players are a few of the 300 students from 10 Edmonton elementary schools who were greeted with sticks and jerseys Thursday morning to launch Free Hockey. The new program is an offspring of the city ’s Free Footie initiative, now offering 3,000 kids the chance to play the game without any barriers.

Executive director Tim Adams said the program is paired with high-need schools across the city, with the goal of providing all youth with access to sport.

“We just try to remove every single barrier to participation,” Adams said.

The young hockey players are set to play an eight-week street hockey season with games every Tuesday, along with weekly practices.

But the games will not take place on an ordinary school playground — rather in the middle of the downtown core at Churchill Square.

“Our long-term hope is that when we bring them down for the games, we’ll be able to piggyback some other type of experience,” said Adams, listing trips to city hall, the art gallery or a hockey game at Rogers Place as possible options.

But before the Lauderdale students take to the streets, they needed to make sure their sticks were taped up and ready to go.

That’s where Edmonton-native Ference, also the NHL’s director of social impact, jumped at the chance to be involved with the “inspiring ” program.

“Every kid should have that something to look forward to. There wasn’t a single kid who wasn’t lit up,” he said. “If they didn’t do it, a lot of kids wouldn’t be playing any sport at all.”

With their blue jerseys on and colourful Pride tape sticks in hand, Ference, who spent two seasons with the Calgary Flames from 2005 to 2007, said the city ’s hockey community just gained 300 new family members.

“There’s something special between that extended family of hockey players and now they’re a part of it.”