Bobby Orr tops just about every hockey list as the best defenceman to have ever played the game and at 62, he is still very much involved in the game but it’s no longer about winning. Orr was in Pierrefonds over the weekend to participate in Chevrolet’s Safe & Fun Hockey―a program developed by him to teach children aged 5-8 essential values behind the game.
Orr created the program after he noticed that minor hockey in Canada was no longer being enjoyed by the kids playing it and that parents and coaches were pressuring the young players to win and be the best. He knew that the percentage of players that actually reached professional levels was extremely low and felt that hockey should be played for fun.
“I’ve watched a lot of hockey games with crazy parents, kids never getting into the games, kids being screamed and yelled at,” Orr told the Chronicle. “We are talking about the masses here, the ones that will never play pro. What’s happening is we are driving these kids away from the game. If one child leaves a hockey, baseball or soccer game feeling poorly about himself or herself then we have failed.”
Orr decided to team up with Chevrolet to provide a program that would remind the children that hockey is meant to be a fun activity. The Safe & Fun Hockey program tours Canada every year, with Orr, Cassie Campbell and Mike Bossy making appearances along the way.
“When our kids are playing, we should be teaching them values like being respectful, responsible and being a good teammate,” said Orr. “These are values that they can apply to anything they may do in the future. If a child is enjoying himself or herself, there is so much we can teach them.”
The program may be targeted to children but over the years, it has developed into something more. Minor hockey involves an entire community and stress can come from the parents as well as the coaches.
“When we started this program, we soon learned that it’s more than just the kids,” said Orr. “The parents, the officials on the ice, the coaches behind the bench: we all have to work together to make sure it’s a happy experience for every kid. If one of that group breaks down, then we are going to have a problem.”
Orr is not just a name for the program, though. He carries with him a dossier of articles about incidents across the country involving violence at minor hockey events as well as studies completed on youth and activities. He cited a Up2Us study, a national coalition of community sports programs in the United States.
“‘Kids who participate in sports attend school more, are more community- and civic-minded, get in less trouble and tend to be more successful in the workplace,’ read Orr aloud. “‘Young athletes learn to work together, acquire leadership skills, get a sense of discipline and learn communication skills’”
On Saturday morning, Orr was in his skates on the ice, talking to a group of enraptured kids, teaching them the fundamental values that go hand-in-hand with the fundamentals of the game. Parents and coaches stood listening as well. At 62, Orr is not slowing down, making it his mission to reach out to the communities across Canada to ensure that hockey is always fun.
Orr created the program after he noticed that minor hockey in Canada was no longer being enjoyed by the kids playing it and that parents and coaches were pressuring the young players to win and be the best. He knew that the percentage of players that actually reached professional levels was extremely low and felt that hockey should be played for fun.
“I’ve watched a lot of hockey games with crazy parents, kids never getting into the games, kids being screamed and yelled at,” Orr told the Chronicle. “We are talking about the masses here, the ones that will never play pro. What’s happening is we are driving these kids away from the game. If one child leaves a hockey, baseball or soccer game feeling poorly about himself or herself then we have failed.”
Orr decided to team up with Chevrolet to provide a program that would remind the children that hockey is meant to be a fun activity. The Safe & Fun Hockey program tours Canada every year, with Orr, Cassie Campbell and Mike Bossy making appearances along the way.
“When our kids are playing, we should be teaching them values like being respectful, responsible and being a good teammate,” said Orr. “These are values that they can apply to anything they may do in the future. If a child is enjoying himself or herself, there is so much we can teach them.”
The program may be targeted to children but over the years, it has developed into something more. Minor hockey involves an entire community and stress can come from the parents as well as the coaches.
“When we started this program, we soon learned that it’s more than just the kids,” said Orr. “The parents, the officials on the ice, the coaches behind the bench: we all have to work together to make sure it’s a happy experience for every kid. If one of that group breaks down, then we are going to have a problem.”
Orr is not just a name for the program, though. He carries with him a dossier of articles about incidents across the country involving violence at minor hockey events as well as studies completed on youth and activities. He cited a Up2Us study, a national coalition of community sports programs in the United States.
“‘Kids who participate in sports attend school more, are more community- and civic-minded, get in less trouble and tend to be more successful in the workplace,’ read Orr aloud. “‘Young athletes learn to work together, acquire leadership skills, get a sense of discipline and learn communication skills’”
On Saturday morning, Orr was in his skates on the ice, talking to a group of enraptured kids, teaching them the fundamental values that go hand-in-hand with the fundamentals of the game. Parents and coaches stood listening as well. At 62, Orr is not slowing down, making it his mission to reach out to the communities across Canada to ensure that hockey is always fun.
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