The Alaska Youth Hockey Safety Program is a specialized program long overdue in our community.  Alaskan-Canadian Hockey Schools has initiated this program to fulfill this need.  Our goal is to expose as many children as possible to this specialized training.  As funding permits, we will begin with Pee Wee and Squirts in Phase 1.  Bantam and Midget in Phase 2, and when the funding is available continue with the younger players.  There is no age limit or requirement for Safety.  We feel the way hockey has accelerated in recent years, it is extremely important all players have awareness and training for safety in hockey.  In brief, this training would focus young players on the correct positioning to accept and deliver checks, respect your teammates & opponents, and to excel in a physical game while playing safe and having fun.  In addition, our future plans include safety related clinics & seminars for coaches and parents, to be conducted by our Advisory Staff.

Our Mission:
Our mission is to provide this specialized training to our youth at no additional cost to the participants.  ALCAN Hockey Schools has joined forces with the Midnight Sun Hockey Association, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks.  The M.S.H.A. has served the Fairbanks hockey community for many years offering clinics and tournaments for children and adults.  M.S.H.A. will serve as a non-profit entity, which will administer funding to the Alaska Youth Hockey Safety Program.  UAF will work in conjunction with M.S.H.A. and ALCAN offering facilities and guidance with all facets of these programs.

WHY A SAFETY PROGRAM?
In the past young children were told to "go play football" to get used to the physical contact in hockey.  Football is a great sport to get used to physical contact, but the game of hockey has changed dramatically; the kids are bigger, faster, the equipment is stronger; and the attitudes of the players have changed.  We need to emphasize respect in the minds of our young players, as well as correct play on the ice for safety concerns.

We have seen first hand in our own community, how an innocent play in hockey can result in serious consequences.  Now as the game and society have changed, there seem to be more and more injuries reported than in the past throughout North America.  With the technology of the Internet, reports of such injuries are readily available
 

Funding for Travel arrangements for participants or to bring the Safety Program staff to another location is to be arranged between the sponsoring organization and the Safety Program Director.

We believe this may be the most important hockey lesson to which a young player is ever exposed.  With years of hockey school experience, and we are uniquely qualified to conduct this clinic in an organized and professional manner.  We request the support of the Fairbanks Hockey Community, and wish to work in conjunction with all local organizations in offering this program.  For additional information, comments, or questions please contact us by email or phone.