麻豆社区

Whitehorse hockey players will have the rare chance to learn from two of the country's hockey greats this summer.

Former Calgary Flames 麻豆社区Theoren Fleury and longtime Canadian Olympic forward Jayna Hefford have been confirmed as instructors for the 12th annual Northwestel Summit Hockey School July 2 to 6 at the Canada Games Centre.

The two will be joined by former NHLer John Chabot 鈥� who organized the exhibition game between Ottawa Senators players here in Nov. 2012 鈥� at the Learning to Lead hockey camp for Yukon players ages five to 18.

The annual camp is funded by Northwestel and the Yukon Indian Hockey Association.

Other instructors include Canadian Olympic defenceman Jocelyne Larocque, Moncton Wildcats director of hockey operations Danny Flynn, and 麻豆社区local athletes Jeane Lassen, Jordan Lane and Andrew Pettitt.

During the camp, young Yukoners will train on and off the ice, play lacrosse and enjoy free time in the pool.

But organizer Joe Martin of the BCHL's Merritt Centennials said the main focus will be on fostering leadership qualities.

"It's not a personality trait that there seems to be a ton of out there,鈥� Martin explained. "I鈥坘now we bring up a lot of elite hockey stars, but a ton of our focus is off the ice.鈥�

Participants in the camp will have an opportunity to question the former NHL鈥坅nd Olympic players on how they overcame difficulties to excel at the highest level.

"We're not going to tie your son or daughter up to parachutes and make them train like an Olympic athlete,鈥濃�圡artin said. "But when they leave, they're going to be much more comfortable playing hockey around their peers.鈥�

Having excellent hockey role models in town helps push the message.

Hefford, a five-time Olympian and four-time gold-medal winner, is excited to visit the territory for the first time.

"I've never visited the Yukon before, and I hear it's beautiful that time of year,鈥� the 37-year-old told the Star from Toronto yesterday. "I'll just jump in and do some instructing. It should be fun.鈥�

Hefford has played a big role in Canada's current golden streak at the Olympics, including duties as an assistant captain.

In 2010, the Kingston, Ont., native ranked second on the team in scoring with five goals and seven assists in five games.

Then in Sochi this past February, she tallied one goal and two assists in five games en route to her fourth gold medal.

Hefford said she's looking forward to meeting some of the Yukon's top hockey talent.

"I realize there's a lot of places in our country that don't have an opportunity to meet a lot of the athletes who represent Canada,鈥� she said. "For the young girls, hopefully it's an opportunity for them to come and meet me and hear my story and realize that it's a dream that's possible.鈥�

Meanwhile, Chabot has run hockey camps in several Yukon communities in the past, and he is excited to return to the North.

"I'm looking forward to coming back up in the summer,鈥� he said. "It's an area of the country I very much enjoy visiting and seeing.鈥�

Chabot said stressing leadership qualities is important.

"The thing that I try and do when I visit communities is talk to kids away from the rink,鈥� he explained. "It's not just about hockey and sports in the Northern communities. Any life skills we can help improve can hopefully go a long way in helping these kids make the decisions on what their futures are going to be.鈥�

Northwestel has donated $10,000 to help run the school, said Aboriginal liaison Peter Johnston.

The company chipped in more this year to bring Fleury's message of mental health North, he explained.

"Mental health comes in many different facets,鈥濃�圝ohnston said. "It influences a lot of different things. We're starting to recognize that it affects most people. We all go through little stints of depression or anxiety 鈥� whatever it may be.鈥�

Having the 45-year-old Fleury share his story with Yukoners from rural communities is a worthwhile endeavor, Johnston said.

"Our mentality with this camp is to provide something different than just a hockey camp. The Learning to Lead philosophy ... offers a multitude of things for the kids to be involved in, so they get the full gamut.鈥�