INNISFAIL – With 1,000 hockey fans in the stands a team of four-year-old hockey wunderkinds took to the ice to hear a mighty roar for the first time.
The hockey team was the Innisfail Tim Hortons Eaglets, the youngest program of the Innisfail Minor Hockey Association.
Most of the 18 tiny tykes, 13 boys and five girls, stumbled and fumbled, much like the winged eaglets of the wild.
But no one cared. The fans in the stands wildly cheered.
This was hockey at in its purest form; the tiniest and youngest of future hockey stars learning how to skate, shoot and score.
And it was all happening before a packed house at the Innisfail Twin Arena on Jan. 3 during the first intermission of the 3rd annual Battle of the Badges charity hockey game.
“If there's 1,000 people there that's probably the most exposure they've ever had,” said Eaglets coach Bernie Vanderham who’s now in his 19th year behind the bench for his team. “So, we just cut them loose, and let them go.
“This was their very first time that they got to play a hockey game in front of the public.”
But for the Eaglets the early evening skate in front of a huge crowd was also a first scrimmage since their season started back in October with one-hour skating practices every Friday at the Arena.
“Most of the children pretty much fall on the ice, and we just teach them skating skills. We just started introducing the puck to learn puck skills, and they’re just learning how to stay upright is the basic thing,” said Vanderham. “The kids have improved so much since the start of the year.”
The Eaglets usually have their annual scrimmage at an Innisfail Eagles game in February but the latter team’s scheduled games at this time of the year start later in the evening, which Vanderham feels is too late for four-year-old kids.
However, he added the Eaglets might get a chance later with the Eagles if a playoff game in February is scheduled for a Sunday afternoon.
Nevertheless, the Eaglets were super pumped up on Jan. 3. Their parents and sisters and brothers were in the stands with huge smiles, and plenty of waves.
Parent volunteers and even Innisfail RCMP Staff Sgt. Ian Ihme were on the ice to help give the kids their first game opportunity.
Mostly though, the kids wanted to show all of them the skills they’ve learned since putting on the skates for the first time last October.
“We just predominantly work on skills. You have to stand up and skate in order to get to puck, so we got to learn how to skate,” said Vanderham. “That's my goal with the kids, and just slowly working away at it.
“The main thing is for the kids to build their self esteem and their self confidence, and that helps them out in life,” he added. “Through learning some life skills and never quitting and doing two strides there, getting up and doing three more; that's just part of life.”
The Eaglets will now continue with their weekly one-hour skate practices until early March when they have their season finale during an intermission at a Red Deer Rebels game.
But Vanderham also hopes his Eaglets are back next year for the 4th annual Battle of the Badges charity hockey game.
“It worked out pretty good, so we'd like to do it again,” said Vanderham. “It was a different crowd than an Eagles game. It was pretty cool the kids got out to do that.”
