After a storied 22-year history of bringing high level hockey to the Bow Valley, we, the Canmore Eagles of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, are sending out a desperate plea for help.
It could make or break the survival of our club and all the good it brings to the community.
Heading into this season, we have only secured eight billet homes for our players, which means over half of our team does not yet have a place to stay.
And if there are no beds, there is no team.
Over the years, we’ve been blessed with families that have opened their homes, allowing us to continue playing.
So with this year’s shortage, it is critical for us to communicate how families can benefit from having a player in their home and all the good that comes from it.
Every winter in this country that calls hockey it’s national game – tens of thousands of little kids lace up new skates to enter the throes of minor hockey. Many have dreams of making it big.
But within that crowd of would-be athletes only a tiny percentage put in the hours, the commitment and the sacrifice to make it to junior hockey.
These young men are the cream of the crop.
They’ve arrived at this level only because they’ve shown the dedication, the work ethic and the mental toughness it takes. It has been their life.
When their teenage buddies wasted weekends at the mall, drinking at house parties, or gaming in the basement — they were at the rink, skating lines, shooting pucks and lifting weights.
Every fall, these young men arrive in Canmore.
On the ice, they bring grit, intensity and work ethic every night they play. They aim to live by the mantra posted on the wall of their dressing room: work beats talent unless talent works.
But more importantly, off the ice, they are shining examples of dedication to our community. They volunteer, they study, they work part-time.
If you choose to billet them, please know they will make your lives easier, not more difficult. They are tasked to adhere to strict standards, including early curfews, respect for others, discipline and healthy living.
They will help you around the house, wash dishes, take out garbage, take kids out to play, or drop them at school, soccer practice, even cubs and scouts.
And throughout winter, they will always ensure your walks and driveways are clear of snow.
Over the years, many billet families who have benefitted from “adopting” a new-found son continue to stay in touch long after he’s gone on to new things from university to college, even hockey scholarships in the NCAA.
So in sharing with you who these young men truly are, and what they can bring to a billet family, we ask that you open your home. You need only offer a bed and make an extra serving of dinner at night.
Not only is it an opportunity to help these boys pursue their hockey dreams, it’s a chance to bring a young leader into your home who can inspire all of those around them.
So come on Canmore, step up and help save junior hockey in your community.
It’s a chance to help a player get to the next level, a chance to bring a shining example into your home.
It’s maybe the chance of a lifetime.
Darryl Lockwood,
president, Canmore Eagles
