The National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) has a program called Goals and Dreams Ambassadors who make visits to communities throughout North America to meet young hockey fans, distribute hockey gear, sign autographs and answer both hockey and life questions.
In the Elkhorn rink waiting room on Aug. 23, amid stacks of boxes full of new hockey equipment, were excited children and parents, and Travis Sanheim, #6, a defenseman for the Philadelphia Flyers.
Sanheim was a graduate of Elkhorn School in 2014. He’s been playing hockey since the age of 3 in the Elkhorn area and was good enough to play at the NHL level.
Sanheim said, "I learned a lot about hockey and sportsmanship in Elkhorn from my earliest days and still keep in touch with my friends who played the game over the years in Elkhorn. This [Goals and Dreams] program is meant to keep hockey alive in smaller rural Canadian communities and to help with the cost of equipment.”
He added that he sees hockey not only as a sport, but it's about friendship, physical fitness and learning skills and discipline. “Sports of all types is good for people of all ages, based on your skill and health levels. I hope this event this evening will promote fitness and health."
The Goals and Dreams program supplied 24 complete hockey kits. As one parent said, everything but the mouth guard was provided. It was all new, quality equipment, with most of it made by Canadian companies.
A number of young children and parents were busy opening up some of the many boxes to find the right size equipment and then, of course, trying it on.
While Travis was helping kids into their gear, he was also busy signing autographs on hats and jerseys. Soon several of Elkhorn’s young hockey players were kitted out and had a group photo with Sanheim.
The gift of this gear will help those families who might not have the resources to buy needed hockey equipment. It will be returned to the rink board at the end of the season or when the kids outgrow it so that others can share it.
Outside the rink, a small crowd waited for Sanheim to come out. Boyd Canart, this year’s president of the Elkhorn District Community Center thanked Travis for the new gear and honoured him with a large photo mural to be placed over the front door of the skating rink, typifying his hockey history with Elkhorn and his role in the NHL.
Canart said, “What a great day for our community! Two years ago, Travis contacted Steven Malcolm, who was the president of EDCC at the time, to inform him that the NHLPA Goals and Dreams would be sending 24 sets of hockey equipment to our facility. This would allow for kids to join the sport without the financial barrier of having to purchase equipment.
“Due to the pandemic, we delayed the unveiling until Travis could join us. It was special to see the kids’ faces light up when Travis walked through the doors to a crowd waiting patiently to celebrate his accomplishments. The excitement was palpable as he helped tie skates, fit helmets, and hand out equipment to the young kids while asking if they were excited to play hockey, many were too nervous to answer.
“Our board was also able to acknowledge Travis’ generosity with a sign that will hang over the rink doors for years to come. We are very grateful and would like to thank Travis’s family and friends for joining us today as we celebrated his accomplishments.”
Sanheim unveiled the sign showing him as a youth in his Elkhorn hockey uniform and in action with the Philadelphia Flyers. He was touched by the photo mural and thanked the community, later posing for photos with it with family members, former Elkhorn hockey team members and young future community hockey players. After the formal events, an impromptu hockey game broke out in the street in front of the rink. What could be more appropriate?
ABOUT: For more than 20 years, NHLPA members have been donating equipment to programs in their NHL cities and hometowns around the world. More the 80,000 children have been provided the opportunity to play the game of hockey in 34 countries. Over that time, the NHLPA Goals & Dreams fund has donated more than $25 million to help grow the game of hockey.
