PICTOU COUNTY – For Craig Clarke and Gus Fahey, their hard work and dedication to hockey in Pictou County has paid off.
This literal payoff is to the tune of $20,000 each for their respective minor hockey associations from the Kraft Canada Hockey Goes On contest.
Clarke, a coach, Pictou Minor Hockey Association development co-ordinator and Hector Arena board member, found out during the second intermission of the Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens game on Wednesday night. “I was with some friends and family when it was announced. I immediately received texts and calls of congratulations.”
He developed the Golden Puck Award and helps organize the annual Play the Pros fundraiser, which provides hockey gear to kids who would otherwise not have the opportunity to play the game.
“It’s not really a win for me. It’s a win for the Hector Arena,” said Clarke.
With work on the Hector Arena’s roof, fundraising efforts are now focusing on the floor work, new boards and ice surface. According to David Parker, chair of the Hector Arena Rink Commission, about $150,000 needed for these renovations. "If we aren't successful, the rink will not open," Parker said. "It has been in very bad shape for a long time."
Clarke said the $20,000 would go directly into the fundraising efforts. “Without a proper ice surface and boards, the arena’s whole existence is called into question.”
Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame inductee Gus Fahey co-founded Pictou County's first hockey school in the 1970s. He’d operated skills clinics and mentored other coaches ever since. He said finding out he’d won the $20,000 prize for the Pictou County Minor Hockey Association was a great feeling. “I knew the grand prize of $100,000 was a long shot, but the support from the town and people of Westville was enormous.”
Though the funds will go to the Pictou County Minor Hockey Association, he hopes to have a say in where the money is spent. “I’d like to see the funds used for a hockey school held before the season but with low costs and affordable, maybe something to help kids who need the money to play hockey.”
Fahey said his life has been dedicated to the development of young hockey players, both in their skills and character. This is reflected in his personal motto: "Love what you do, have passion for what you do and always treat yourself and others with respect."
"Whether it's lacing skates in Churchill Falls or operating a skills clinic in New Glasgow, these passionate individuals help bring communities together through their love and dedication to the sport and its young players," said Jack Hewitt, vice president of marketing insight and services, Kraft Canada.
Through the program, Kraft Hockey Goes On is awarding $1 million to Hockey Canada-affiliated minor hockey associations, including $100,000 awarded to Hockey Canada's Learn to Skate programs.
On Twitter: @NGNewsJohn
