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Message from Elton Davidge, SPMHA President
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Hockey Canada's Open Letter to Canadians
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AN OPEN LETTER TO CANADIANS FROM HOCKEY CANADA:
First, and most importantly, to the front-line and essential workers who have gone above and beyond around the clock to keep Canadians safe – a simple thank you is not nearly enough for what you have done over the last three months.
Second, to our Members, partners, local hockey associations, volunteers and fans across Canada, thank you for keeping the spirit of hockey alive. Unprecedented times have called for unprecedented efforts at every level of the game.
As provinces and territories phase in a plan to reopen in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are questions about when hockey will return, and how it will look when it does.
Hockey Canada and its Members are diligently working on a multifaceted return-to-hockey plan that will happen when, and only when, provincial and territorial governments and health authorities deem it safe to do so.
This plan includes everything from health and safety regulations to communications, seasonal structure, customer engagement and national teams.
As the return-to-hockey plan progresses, it will do so at different speeds, and at different times, across the country, based on direction from health authorities. And the game will look different, that much we do know. We ask for patience as we continue to work towards ensuring hockey plays its role in bringing the sports community back.
The health and safety of everyone involved in the game will determine when we return, not our desire to get back on the ice. When our country is ready, Hockey Canada will be ready. Until then, continue to follow the guidelines set by your provincial and territorial government to help limit the spread of COVID-19. Only by working together will we be able to make a difference and safely return.
For more information and regular updates, please visit hockeycanada.ca/returntohockey.
Thank you for your passion and dedication to our game, and we hope to see you around the rink as soon as possible.
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Michael Brind’Amour
Chair, Board of Directors
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Tom Renney
Chief Executive Officer
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Scott Smith
President & COO
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Virtual AGM & Elections To Go Ahead June 3rd
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SPMHA has set the revised date of June 3rd @ 7pm to host our 2020 Virtual AGM and Board Elections.
We will be hosting the meeting using Zoom Webinars, and will be utilizing electronic polling in order to elect our 2020-21 Board of Directors. We will also Livestream it on our website, but note that you must be registered and join the webinar in order to vote.
Nominations for the Board closed on April 8th. The list of positions and nominees are available HERE. Any position with two nominees (with the exception of Members-at-Large) will require a membership vote.
All members who wish to participate must pre-register through the link below. Registered participants will be sent meeting invite details via email closer to the event date.
The AGM will provide all participating members an opportunity to ask questions and provide input on the future direction of Sherwood Park Minor Hockey through your vote. We encourage all membership to register and participate.
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2020-21 Registration Information
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SPMHA registration for the 2020-21 season will open on June 1st. In an effort to minimize the financial impact to our members during these challenging times, we are putting in place a few new options:
- Extended Early Bird Registration: The early bird registration date has been extended to August 1, 2020. We encourage all members to register as early as possible in order to ensure their spot in the program. Note that registration does not require immediate payment. We are allowing families to defer payment until August 15th if they choose (without penalty), though they MUST be registered before the Early Bird deadline of August 1 to avoid additional costs.
- Amended Installment Plan: Registrants may now pay for their registration over seven (7) equal monthly installments (Jun-Dec), minimizing the monthly impact to families.
- Financial Assistance: We have expanded the reach of our SPMHA Benevolent Fund in order to help families who are facing financial challenges. Find more details further on in this newsletter.
- Recreational Program Offering: SPMHA will participate in the EFHL Recreational Hockey League. This option will be available to all registrants from U9 though U21, and comes at a significantly reduced registration fee. Click here to learn more about this offering.
Full details on our registration options are available on our SPMHA webpage. Click the button below for more information.
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What a Great Performance by Sherwood Park Hockey
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The EFHL recently made the medals available to the declared winners of the Subway EFHL 2020 Championships. Playoffs ended abruptly due to COVID-19, but SPMHA (along with our female program SPS Fuzion) had already shown extremely well, and was awarded with 11 Gold and 10 Silver Medals.
Winning isn't the ultimate measure of a program's success, but we all should be extremely proud of the great job our Sherwood Park teams did this year. Kudos again to all the winners. We plan to be even better next year!
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Not Sure About Summer Camps?
Don't Worry, SPMHA Has You Covered
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We understand, a lot of plans are up in the air right new due to COVID-19. While SPMHA is preparing for business as usual (while planning for contingencies), we know that there could be some structural changes to our summer development program to accommodate COVID precautions. We are encouraged that already, some areas of the country are opening up to small group training sessions, and we are anticipating that our arenas may be opening (in some form) as early as mid-June.
While we still have over two months before our summer camps are set to begin, we want to encourage families to register for Summer Camps now, as it is possible camp capacities will need to be lowered to comply with new COVID standards. Registering now secures your spot!
We'd also like to reassure all of our registrants that if summer camps cannot go ahead, any and all registration fees WILL be refunded in full. Also note that even if camps go ahead, but your situation changes, full refunds will be available up until one (1) week before the start of each respective camp, regardless of the reason.
We want you to be able to plan your summer without risk, and we know that players will be chomping at the bit to get back on the ice and up to speed for the 2020-21 season! Secure your spot today.
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SPMHA understands that some of our members will be facing financial challenges due to COVID-19. We want you to know that SPMHA is here to help. Did you know that the SPMHA Benevolent Fund provides financial assistance (where possible) to membership that meet certain financial criteria?
The intent of the Benevolent Fund is to provide assistance to families that may be subject to low income or financial hardship. The Fund will offer partial registration subsidies to families that qualify, so that players may continue to participate in SPMHA programs. As with any such program, we recognize that we are not able to help ALL families, but will work on a best-efforts basis to help those most in need. We don't want any families to have to step away from hockey due to financial difficulties.
We routinely allocate a certain amount of our budget to assist those in need, and would like to encourage members who are able, to donate to the fund where possible, so we can extend the program's reach. This is especially important this year, as we know many families may be struggling due to COVID19 and the downturn in the oil & gas sector.
For more information, please visit the Benevolent Fund page on our website, or click one of the buttons below. Note that ALL applications for funding will be kept strictly confidential. Only the funding approval committee will be aware of any application details.
If you are in a position to donate to the Benevolent Fund and assist fellow members, there will be an option to donate through the 2020-21 Registration Form.
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SPMHA Pulse Survey Results
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Last month, SPMHA sent a membership survey to all of our members. We're not sure if it was the incentive or the fact that most families were stuck at home, but the response rate was fantastic! 485 members completed the 99 question survey, and gave our board plenty of feedback about our current program and our members preferences that we can use to help guide future decisions.
As an incentive to complete the survey, we provided participating members three chances to win 50% off next season's registration. Three winners were randomly selected from the eligible entries.
AND THE WINNERS WERE
Bob Guthrie, Andrew Wujcik & Val Quiring
We'd like to congratulate our winners and extend our thanks to everyone who participated in the survey. With your help, we will continue our goal of making SPMHA a leader within the hockey community!
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Sherwood Park Kings
Celebrated in New Book
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Local hockey mainstay John “Jaydee” de Munnik has published a comprehensive look at local rep hockey — the Sherwood Park Kings Athletic Club Hockey History/Record Book. Photo Supplied
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Published in the Sherwood Park News on: May 12, 2020 | Last Updated: May 12, 2020 11:28 AM EDT
It is the go-to source for all things Kings.
Local hockey mainstay John “Jaydee” de Munnik’s life work has been completed, as the 77-year-old has wrapped up the publication of the Sherwood Park Kings Athletic Club Hockey History/Record Book, a comprehensive collection now available for purchase that has seen more than 30 years of his life gathering statistical data.
Although there have been five previous editions of the yearbook since the Kings Club was born in 2002 and five editions of the record book as well, it has been some time since one was issued, and this one is considered de Munnik’s opus.
“This is the one I have waited for my entire life, though. I always thought it would be incredible if I could get all of the stats from Sherwood Park rep hockey teams and put them all in one book,” he said. “It was a painstaking process and I can honestly say that I found everything I possibly could have. Many of the leagues didn’t start keeping decent stats until the late 1980s. This book is all the previous yearbooks and record books combined, and it is also filled with news stories, including many from this paper from over the years. I doubt many, if any, communities in Alberta have anything like this, detailing so much local hockey history and stats like this. It looks awesome.
“It occurs to me that maybe as you read it, it will take your mind off the terrible crisis we are facing, even if it is only for a short while.”
The book could take a while to get through, which is a very good thing.
“It is over 500 pages and contains more than 2,000 players from 1976 on,” de Munnik said. “Some of the guys from the early years may not be there because those stats disappeared, but I looked under every stone I could to find the ones that I did. I have all the rosters except from one year and stories about some of the players who ended up becoming coaches and of course, former Sherwood Park Midget AAA coach Ken Hitchcock, who went on to such an impressive NHL coaching career. In the back of the book, I have all of the names and stats of all of the players who played on Sherwood Park teams that I could find, including many of their pictures. I think people will be pretty happy when they see that.”
The Sherwood Park Kings Athletic Club Hockey History/Record Book comes at a cost of just $40 and people can get it by contacting Jaydee by e-mail at jdemunnik@shaw.ca.
To save wear and tear on the currently overloaded postal system, Jaydee is willing to drop off orders from the immediate area himself (observing proper social distancing of course).
sjones@postmedia.com
twitter.com/Realshanejones
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Sin Bin Gear Cleaning Promotion
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Our friends at Sin Bin are back open and ready to deal. They're offering a promotional rate on equipment cleaning to all SPMHA members using their Sani-Sport cleaning machine, which uses Ozone to clean, deodorize and sanitize.
Mike also wanted us to mention that ALL TEAM CLOTHING is 50% OFF until the end of the month! So get out there and support a great local business and huge supporter of Sherwood Park Minor Hockey!
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Hockey at Home - Conditioning, Skill Development, & Goalie Training
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Ali Stead is a hockey player and social media influencer. Having only started playing hockey a few years ago, she developed her skills quickly, and is now passionate about sharing her love and knowledge for the game. Be sure to check back every Thursday for the latest drill!
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As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to keep us all at home, it’s important to maintain strength, conditioning and proper nutrition as much as possible. Follow along with Crash each week as he takes us through a routine to help everyone become a ’Crashlete’ at home!
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As part of the Hockey at Home Series, Hockey Alberta will publish a weekly video focused on goaltender skills drills that can be done at home. Check back every Saturday for the latest goalie skills video!
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As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to keep us all at home, it’s important to keep active, eat healthy, and even work on some hockey skills. Hockey Alberta is working with Crash Conditioning, Ali Stead (@never2late2learn.hky), and various goalie resources to bring you weekly tips on how to stay ready for hockey’s return.
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