CCM donates more than $42K in hockey equipment to N.W.T. youth

There will be some big smiles on the faces of young hockey players in several communities throughout the Northwest Territories this winter.

Sports equipment manufacturer CCM is donating new hockey gear for up to 200 youth between the ages of four and 18. Youth from Yellowknife, Behchoko, Fort Providence, Inuvik, and Aklavik will be among some of the lucky recipients.

In a news release, CCM said more than $95,000 worth of equipment is going to two in-need hockey programs in remote communities supported by Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities. Hockey schools in N.W.T. and the Hockey Skills Academy Program in Sioux Lookout, Ont., are the beneficiaries.

Melissa Rhodes, spokesperson for CCM, said more than $42,000 worth of equipment will be donated to N.W.T.

Ryan Nichols, vice-principal at Mildred Hall School in Yellowknife, said as soon as he heard about the program he jumped at the opportunity.

"If we can provide any sort of physical activity for the students to try out, I think it's very, very important," he said.

Nichols said hockey equipment and hockey lessons are costly but he hopes the donation will allow 30 to 40 kids at his school to try out the sport.

He said he is grateful to CCM, and Canadian Tire Jumpstart for stepping up to help kids stay active in the North.

"It's definitely a huge boost. We wouldn't have the money and the budget to go and get all these things."

Nichols said once all the forms are filled with sizes he expects the equipment to arrive within three to four weeks.