For a prairie boy, San Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau loves the mountains.
Marleau headlined the first week of the Canmore Eagles Summer Hockey Camp, which kicked off on Aug. 15 at the Canmore Rec Centre.
The 34-year-old, two-time Olympic gold medallist was on the ice all week with the budding hockey players, as he helped coach alongside Canmore Eagles head coach and general manager Andrew Milne, Eagles assistant coach Jeremy Reich and several current and past Eagles players.
Marleau grew up with Milne and Reich in Saskatchewan, and the three played hockey together. Reich and Marleau also played together for the Seattle Thunderbirds in the WHL, where the two were roommates, and he said he is enjoying his time in Canmore.
“It’s a great place to come. It grows on you,” Marleau said.
On the ice, he led several drills and shared tips and tricks from his lengthy career, where he’s racked up 437 goals and 494 assists in 1,247 games, all with the Sharks.
“We’re doing a lot of basic stuff and getting the kids excited about hockey. It’s mainly about getting them excited about the game,” Marleau said.
Time demands are high on Marleau, but he’s happy to spend a week of his short summer at the hockey camp.
“It’s a little extra time on the ice, but it’s fun. I enjoy being on the ice with the kids. I have two of my own kids in the camp, and they’re getting used to it, seeing what the Canadian kids are up to,” Marleau said.
The young players are quick to pepper him with questions about who is the toughest goalie in the NHL, who is the hardest player to face.
“They usually come up with their favourite player. I don’t want to shatter any dreams, so I usually agree with them,” Marleau said with a smile.
Milne said the camp is fortunate to have players such as Reich, as well as St. Louis Blues defenceman Jay Boumeester, Florida Panthers goaltending prospect Sam Brittain and Kootenay Ice centre Luke Philp, help out with the camp.
“For guys like Patrick to come out, it’s huge. It’s important for us to realize between NHL awards and the Olympics, players of his calibre have high demands on their time. He makes the decision to be here and it helps because Canmore is a great place to take your family. The opportunities are outstanding,” Milne said.
This year, 65 kids attended the first week of camp, with another 65 scheduled for next week. Last year, the camp attracted 40 children per week.
“Our numbers are up pretty drastically. That speaks to the way we ran our camp last year. We give the kids quality instructors and a lot of fun,” Milne said.
The camp helps fund the Eagles operation, allowing them to keep coaches like Reich with the team.
