By Ethan Ready

Pro Gear

PGSS Hockey Program scores equipment from NHL Players’ Association

Mar 18, 2021 | 5:22 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – It’s not every day you get to crack open some mail from players in the National Hockey League. But at PGSS, receiving boxes of equipment from the NHL Player’s Association is what got their hockey program up off the ground in the first place.

The program first started up back in 2002, and it was the very same support that PGSS continues to receive today that got it all underway nearly two decades ago.

“The NHLPA’s Goals and Dreams (Program) donated the original sets of gear to get the program going in 2002, as well as a generous donation of a bus, and that’s really what allowed for the program to get going,” explained PGSS Polars Coach RJay Berra. “There were so many kids who wanted the opportunity to play hockey and didn’t have gear. Those sets of gear made it possible and now we’ve received 16 more sets, and that means 16 more kids each year will get to play hockey.”

The program typically operates with six high-performance classes running through the entire school year, along with four beginner classes – two running in each semester. The program breaks down barriers for kids who simply just want to be playing the sport of hockey, and the NHL Player Association’s Goals and Dreams program has allowed for that to happen here in Prince George.

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“The beginner is full of all types of kids,” explained Berra. “Some grew up in families where hockey wasn’t the main sport and something else was so now they’re looking for an opportunity to play, and others just financially weren’t able to afford it when they were younger and now there’s an opportunity for them to try it. It’s been a great addition to the school as far as allowing kids to try something they might not have otherwise got a chance to experience. It’s such a great game and this program has provided opportunities for so many to experience the game a lot of us love.”

In a standard week, the green bus is getting loaded up and heads over to one of the Kin Centres almost every single day of the school week, with 4 to 5 trips each day. And the students get graded, no different than they would for a standard Physical Education class.

“You’re graded on a bunch of different things on the ice. Basically, kids come with the right attitude and they do quite well if they’re working hard and trying their best,” said Berra.

Since 2002, the program has had three shipments of full sets of equipment from the NHLPA, including sticks, helmets, skates, and everything else needed to step foot on the ice.