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You might have missed them with all the buzz and excitement that surrounded the 4 Nations Face-Off.
But there they were, every night during the memorable tournament, just as the houselights dimmed in Montreal and Boston.
Boys and girls, some just learning how to skate, decked out in full hockey gear, boasting NHLPA Goals & Dreams jerseys with the No. 25 on the back, denoting the 25th anniversary of the NHLPA’s charitable program, participating in the pregame ceremonies and standing on the ice alongside some of the biggest stars in the game.
Each night, a group of 24 different youth, each coming from a local grassroots hockey program, would follow the same pattern.
A lap around the Bell Centre or TD Garden ice for all the hockey world to see
Positions were taken, holding the large country flags of the two teams playing, or waiting at the entrance to the ice to greet the players. Then, standing alongside their hockey heroes during the national anthems.
“You know, nothing prepares for it,” explained Anthony Chatziadamos, whose two sons skated out onto the Bell Centre ice on the first night of the 4 Nations Face-Off.
“As much as you can overhype it, it’s still not enough when you first step out there. I was lucky enough that I was standing at the ice level right next to the doors watching them and it was like, ‘wow’,” Chatziadamos said.
The first-generation Canadian was born to Greek parents. He picked up hockey as an adult so he could work with his two boys Nikita, 10, and Constantine, 12, and they could enjoy the game as a family.
Over time, Chatziadamos became involved in the Ahuntsic Braves community hockey group that began back in the 1950s when the legendary Maurice “Rocket” Richard began donating money to help families in the area take up the game.
He’s since taken on administrative responsibilities with the charitable group.
But on this night, he is a proud hockey dad. Nothing more. Nothing less.
“My little one actually tells me, ‘Daddy I’m so happy I don’t know how to express my joy,’” Chatziadamos added after the game. “That’s like the most quotable thing you could have said. And my older one was like, ‘I was freaking out. There were so many people.’”
NHLPA Goals & Dreams has been an important tool for NHL players to give back to communities at the grassroots level for a quarter of a century.
Players have donated more than $26 million over the past 25 years to help open doors to the world of hockey to boys and girls, men and women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, indigenous and at-risk youth and countless others who might never have otherwise had a chance to experience the joys of the game.
Hundreds of current and former NHL players have donated time and money to promote the idea that the game of hockey is, indeed, for everyone, with NHLPA Goals & Dreams projects having been undertaken in 40 different countries around the world.
The 4 Nations Face-Off seemed like a perfect time to remind the hockey world of the power of NHLPA Goals & Dreams, at a time when players were thrilling hockey fans with the first best-on-best competition in almost a decade. In each of the host cities, G&D also announced a $25,000 donation of hockey equipment in support of grassroots hockey.
Goals & Dreams announced a $25,000 donation to the Ahuntsic Braves to assist with new equipment for the Montreal organization.
NHLPA Executive Director, Marty Walsh, also announced that NHLPA Goals & Dreams is partnering with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation on a commitment to donate $25,000 in new sleds for sled hockey youth across the United States.
By the time 4 Nations came to its dramatic close Thursday night in Boston, more than 150 players, aged nine through 13, had taken part in on-ice presentations during the wildly successful tournament.
To see the impact of those moments on the faces of the young people, to say nothing of the pride felt by coaches and parents, is to understand the power of inclusion, the power of being part of a team and, yes, the power of the game itself.
It’s also a reminder of the line that can be drawn from the big picture good work done by NHLPA Goals & Dreams to the granular part of expanding the hockey world, which is child by child, in this case with the backdrop of a global audience.
For some of these kids, just walking into Bell Centre in Montreal or TD Garden in Boston represents a first, given that many of the groups involved represent disadvantaged communities. Never mind stepping onto the ice with players they know only through television or their computer screens.
“Each game is an experience for them. Just to see their eyes before when you open the door, just to see the eyes of the kids, this will stay in their minds for a long time,” explained Martin Longchamps, president of the Ahuntsic Braves’ board of directors.
One night, Canadian netminder Sam Montembeault dropped into the kids’ locker room at Bell Centre to say hello and sign some autographs.
After another game, former NHL player Georges Laraque dropped by the room to visit with the youngsters who were key to kicking off each game.
Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Teemu Selanne also took to the ice with Sun Youth players in Montreal, while in Boston, Devon Toews of the Canadian squad dropped by to see the United Heroes League group, who participated in the pre-game efforts before the tournament’s championship game,
In both Boston and Montreal, the kids performed their duties at the start of each game and then watched the balance of the game in the stands. Invariably, the video monitor would find them and fans responded with great applause sending the youngsters into fits of delirium.
In Boston, the kids from the Dorchester Youth Hockey group were introduced to Marty Walsh, who is from Dorchester, as well as Boston anthem singer, Todd Angilly.
As it turns out, it was Angilly’s birthday and so the kids from Dorchester serenaded him with a spirited rendition of “Happy Birthday”.
Moezine (Moe) Hasham is the executive director for Hockey 4 Youth, which operates 13 programs across Canada. Some are co-ed, but most focus on introducing girls to the game, especially girls whose families are new to Canada.
A majority of newcomers to Canada, 71 per cent, express an interest in hockey, but only 1 per cent will have the opportunity to play because of cost and access to the sport, Hasham explained.
Research also shows that one-third of girls drop out of sport by the age of 13, so Hasham’s group has been working to find a safe space for girls to try hockey.
“We need to do more to encourage girls to play because it’s so critically important,” Hasham said. “It’s important not from a physical standpoint only, but your mental, social, psychological health, all of that is critically important. We’re just that steppingstone.”
Before the girls from Hockey 4 Youth stepped onto the ice for their time in the spotlight, a few stood outside the locker room to watch Sweden warm up, their eyes lighting up at being so close to real, live NHL players getting ready for an important game.
“The girls, their mix of nerves, excitement, anticipation, anxiety, they were a ball of every emotion possible,” explained Montreal program coordinator, Nayyara Shabbir.
“And just being the one to calm them down and go; ‘You got this. Don’t stress. How is this ice any different than the arena that we skate on? Yes, there’s 21,000 people in the stands but at the same time just as much as the players are the stars, you’re the stars, too,’” Shabbir explained with a smile.
With the nerve-wracking moments of the pregame ceremony for the Sweden vs. Finland game behind them, the group of 24 girls first caught sight of themselves on the TV broadcast of the game in the concourse of the Bell Centre, and they immediately let out an enthusiastic scream in unison that caught the attention of many.
Shabbir mentioned it was one of her top moments of the whole experience, noting, “That was how much it meant to them.”
Shane Hudella, president and founder of the United Heroes League, has been working alongside the NHLPA for 15 years to help the kids of military families put some joy back in their lives through the game of hockey.
Many of those families they have helped have suffered unimaginable loss, whether it’s through battlefield death or injury, long-term separation through deployment, and mental health issues including post-traumatic stress disorder related to military service.
As Canada and the United States prepared for the 4 Nations Face-Off finale, the UHL gathered 24 kids, including two Canadian military families from near Fredericton, New Brunswick, about a seven-hour drive from Boston, to help represent NHLPA Goals & Dreams to kick off the championship match.
“We've done so many experiential things with sending heroes to All-Star games and different things, but this put our kids and our mission on the world stage and really just a lifelong memory for the kids and for the families that you can't put a price tag on,” Hudella recalled.
Among those taking part in the pre-game ceremonies were families of Bronze Star recipients for bravery.
“You go through and have to do some horrible things when you're on deployment. Those things can be really hard to overcome. The kids deal with it as much as the parents do,” Hudella said.
For a moment, at least these kids didn’t have to worry or think about any of that but rather embrace a lifetime moment of being on the ice with Sidney Crosby or Auston Matthews and many of their favourite players.
“Our mission really isn't about the hockey stick or the experience. It's about thanking these families in a huge way,” Hudella said.
From Montreal to Boston, imagine the stories that will be shared by these young people and their parents in the years to come.
Imagine the legends that such moments become. Imagine the lifelong connections forged by those moments on the big ice under the bright lights.
Hannah Ishigakiis 11. She was born in Winnipeg but moved to Montreal where she and her family, who is from Pakistan, learned about Hockey 4 Youth.
“I always loved to skate and I wanted to improve skating even more so when Hockey 4 Youth came to my school, I knew that it would be a great opportunity to enhance my skating,” Ishigaki explained.
As for sharing the ice with players from the Finnish and Sweden squads?
“It was amazing. I was very scared at first but once I got comfortable, I was good,” she said. “I got to get a lot of high-fives.”
“I like to skate and then when this opportunity was offered to me, I was just so shocked,” the 11-year-old said. “I was like ‘why I don’t give it a try?’ And when I started it just felt really good and maybe, who knows, I’ll play when I’m older. It really appealed to me and I just really liked it.”
Her job on the ice at Bell Centre was to hold a part of the Swedish flag during pre-game ceremonies.
“It didn’t feel real. I was so excited and, yeah, it was great,” she said.
Perhaps 11-year-old Penny Lavigne summed it all up perfectly.
“I think it’s a really cool sport and really my favorite thing to do in hockey is just skate around and pass the puck between me and my friends,” Lavigne said.
And her role on the ice at 4 Nations?
“It was both nerve-wracking and cool at the same time because you get to meet players that are part of the NHL and we get to be part of the NHL ourselves which is cool,” Lavigne said.
Indeed, truer words were never spoken.
