Hockey talk

In the not-too-distant past, A was for apple, B was for banana and C was for cookie.

Don’t tell Cookie Monster, but the rules have changed in at least one Woodcrest Public School classroom, where hockey rules the roost and dominates the educational landscape.

For this class of five- and six-year-olds, A stands for arena, B is for Bruins and C is for none other than Crosby, as in Sidney Crosby, the Wayne Gretzky of their little worlds.

On Thursday, to reinforce the importance of literacy, the school invited members of the Confederation College women’s hockey team to have a chat with the youngsters and spend time reading hockey-themed books to the eager first graders.

It was an exciting day, said six-year-old Braydon Piccinin, whose father Aaron is no stranger to the game, a former member of both the Thunder Bay Flyers and Lakehead Thunderwolves.  He quickly saw the value of learning how to read.

“We can learn better and we’ll know how to read comic books and other books,” said Braydon, who wants to be a hockey player himself when he grows up, following in his father’s footsteps.

His teacher, Rebecca Cross, said having the Thunderhawks players visit the classroom is helping answer a lot of questions her young students were asking about their futures.

“Many children in my class are very interested in hockey, and were wondering about if they really need to have reading skills to play hockey. ‘That’s all we want to do and do we really need to know how to read?’

“Absolutely,” Cross said. “And these ladies have come in and shared how they need to know how to read and that hockey isn’t the only thing they do at school.”

The students were quick to point out they have to attend class and need to have reading skills to succeed, both on and off the ice.

“They’ve shown how they need to read rules and stats from their coach and to know how to do the plays. He writes them out for them and the children need to know how to read them,” Cross said.

Students have spent the past six weeks reading hockey books and writing stories everything from helmets and gloves to jerseys.

“It’s great to see the enthusiasm,” Cross said, sheepishly admitting the resurgent Toronto Maple Leafs did not make the grade when it came to producing a hand-drawn alphabet book about the sport, a book the children autographed and gave to the Thunderhawks as a keepsake.

Jessica Barker is a defenceman on the first-year team and said her visit to Woodcrest was all about giving back to the community, encouraging the kids to play hockey and see where the game can take them, especially the girls.

The reading was a bonus, she said, but something all kids need to make part of their lives. 

“Reading is very important and I think we got that message across,” Barker said. “In your every-day life, you’re always reading something, and especially in hockey we told them we have to read the plays and read the rules of the game and learn all the practices your coaches tell you to learn.”