Local Sens player brings
home hockey gear
by Matthew Uhrig
Press staff
WINCHESTER - It's been years
since Matt Carkner played within the local minor hockey system,
but he hasn't forgotten where he came from.
The self-proclaimed one-time "rink rat" at the Winchester
Arena, and current defenceman with the Ottawa Senators, returned
to his former stomping grounds on Fri., July 23. With him, he
brought more than $9,000 worth of necessary equipment needed to
play the game so many local kids love - hockey.
"Basically we're trying to bridge the gap between the desire
to play and ability to play," Carkner said before a crowd
of more than 100 people crammed inside his father Dennis' auto
body shop, D's Collision Center, on Dawley Drive.
The skates, helmets, sticks, shoulder pads, and more are being
donated to the North Dundas Minor Hockey Association (NDMHA) through
the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) "Goals
and Dreams" fund.
According to the NHLPA's website, the donation of equipment affords
children the opportunity to play hockey - a sport that educates
players in teamwork, commitment, discipline, and physical fitness.
As well, since its inception, the fund has helped to donate more
than 13,000 full sets of equipment to underprivileged children
in approximately 22 countries around the world, and because of
the players' donations, more than 50,000 children have been given
the opportunity to participate in the sport. Aside from equipment,
the fund has also helped to redevelop arenas. Since its start
in 1999, 75 ice re-surfacers and more than 110 sets of boards
and glass have been provided to community arenas in small towns
throughout Europe and North America.
The financial donations of the fund are allocated according to
the nationalities of the NHLPA's membership. To date, the program
has handed out roughly $18 million to hockey programs around the
world.
This project was spearheaded by Terry Reid, a board member of
the NDMHA, who reached out to Dennis in order to get in contact
with Carkner and inquire about a possible donation.
"The kids will really enjoy this," said Reid.
Meanwhile, Hans Hutten, president of the NDMHA, said he knows
just how difficult it can be for parents to pay for their children
to play the game.
"There are less fortunate kids that have parents that say,
'No, you're not playing hockey this year because we simply can't
afford it,'" said Hutten, adding that, on average, its costs
more than $1,000 per player for hockey families each season.
"Something like this, with all the equipment, it's great,"
he said.
The July 23 event also served as an open house for D's Collision
Center and its 23 years of operation in Winchester. Friends, family,
and hockey fans were invited to tour the shop, meet the owners,
and get an autograph from Carkner.