Roughly 40 kids are lacing up their skates and hitting the ice each week with one goal in mind: to have fun.
Westlock’s Fun Hockey Association is in its second year and gives players of all ages and skill levels the chance to engage with peers in a fun, light-hearted game of hockey, said coach Jeff Blades.
“The kids really have a lot of fun. It’s a great attitude,” he said. “It’s less competitive, there’s fair play and everyone gets the same amount of shifts … it’s just about getting the kids out and playing the game.”
The league started with 32 players and two teams last year and has expanded to include 40 kids on three different teams. He said the reason for the increase is largely word of mouth.
“They’re having fun with it and we’re getting more and more kids each year,” he said.
Blades said he expects the league’s growth to continue in coming years.
“It sounds like we’ll be getting more and more kids every year,” he said. “Hopefully next year we’ll be able to grow even more.”
He said he would like to have even more kids sign up for the league so that a total of at least four teams can compete.
The league practices ever Wednesday with games held on Saturday’s. Most games, he said, are played fairly close to Westlock, so it is less of a commitment for parents.
“We play in Neerlandia, Linaria, Fawcett, Fort Assiniboine and Rich Valley, so it’s not a lot of commitment,” he said, adding there is less financial commitment required to play in the league as well as a result of less travel.
Kids participating in Fun Hockey must choose between that and Westlock and the District Minor Hockey Association — they are not allowed to play both in the same season.
“We’ve had some jump back and forth and that’s what we want, you know,” he said. “If we can get them out there and they want to try something a little more competitive, all the power to ‘em.”
Ultimately, he said, the goal is to get kids on the ice, keep them skating and promote a healthy lifestyle both on and off the ice.
“If there’s other family activities they want to do on the weekend, if the family wants to go skiing, hey, go skiing. Hockey will be here again,” he said.
“It’s not all hockey, we just want to have a family sport that all the kids can participate in.”
To learn more or to sign up for next season, contact Blades at 780-348-5525.
