Nunavut youth learn from NHL greats in Cambridge Bay
71 youth from territory's Kitikmeot region come together to learn from Reggie and Jamie Leach
Seventy-one young hockey players from across Nunavut's Kitikmeot region are in Cambridge Bay this week, learning Canada's national pastime from a pair of Stanley Cup champions.
Reggie Leach and his son Jamie are teaching skating and shooting skills as part of their Shoot to Score Hockey School. They're also stressing a practice-makes-perfect work ethic.
"It doesn't matter where you come from," says Reggie, who won the NHL's Conn Smythe Trophy with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1976. "Work hard, pay attention, do the skills right. Anything in life, to be good at it, you have to practise."
The Leaches have been running Shoot to Score camps since 1996, and Cambridge Bay is the furthest north they've ever held a hockey school. But their high profile camp is not free — participation comes at a cost of $100, plus travel expenses, which can be prohibitive in Nunavut.
Luckily, funding options were available for parents. Cambridge Bay youth were able to volunteer with the local minor hockey association, earning credits they could then redeem for camp registration fee.
"It takes two volunteer experiences to get a $100 credit," says Fred Muise, president of Cambridge Bay Minor Hockey, who helped organize the camp.
"So a lot of kids are going for free because they have been volunteering, cleaning up, helping with bingos."
Nunavut Hockey paid for 15 players from outside Cambridge Bay to travel to the camp, and the Hamlet of Gjoa Haven raised money for another five.
Those lucky few included William Nalungaq's son Mason, who is from Kugaaruk.
"I hope he learns more about hockey and respect for other kids when he is playing hockey," says Nalungaq of his son.
A trip to Cambridge Bay for the Nalungaqs would normally cost about $1,400 — a price that he says most people in his community just can't afford.
"A lot of kids wanted to come here, but they had no funding," he says.
Those youth may get their chance one day soon. Muise says that he hopes to hold another camp in the region in the near future. However, no dates have been set.