Ahead Colorado Hockey Night, presented by Toyota, the Avalanche partnered with 1616 and the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) to host a special event to promote the mental development of youth hockey players.
“We find value in developing players not only on the ice but as teammates and leaders off of the ice and the 1616 program helps us to do just that,” said Taylor Patrick, Event Manager, Youth Hockey Development for the Avalanche.
Before the Avs faced the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 16th, the players from Arapahoe Lady Warriors and Vail Mountaineers learned about improving their mental skills. This event was sponsored by Toyota and the Hard Hat Heroes fund, where Toyota donates $100 to youth hockey in Colorado for every goal the Avalanche score.
At this pregame event, the players heard from Meredith Wolff, Executive Director of the Ladd Foundation, about the importance of resilience and controlling the controllables in both hockey and life. During the activity, the players were asked about experiences on the ice that were difficult for them and how they responded.
Next, the teams were joined by Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog for a Q&A session. During the session, he talked about leadership, being positive and his family becoming his team throughout his injury recovery. Additionally, he explained the importance of spending time working on what is between the ears (the mental side of the game) and how having dialogue and letting people in is important to him.
1616 is a nonprofit organization founded by two-time Stanley Cup champion Andrew Ladd and his wife Brandy. The organization offers a virtually delivered youth hockey program that shares true stories from professional hockey players to inspire young hockey players to focus on connection, confidence and character, both on and off the ice. Over the past four seasons, thousands of teams from across the United States, including teams in Colorado, have participated in the program.
“They really saw a need to bring proactive mental health and mental performance skills into the youth hockey atmosphere,” Wolff said.
Neesha Lenzini, Safesport Co-Director, said 1616 provides CAHA with a tool to build healthy hockey players, teams and programs. She said that she wants to ask all of the more than 160 12U teams in Colorado to participate in the program.
Lenzini also emphasized the importance of the mental aspect of playing hockey.
“If you don’t put time into the mental and the character development, then all the money you spend everywhere else is wasted,” Lenzini said. “Because you may have a kid who plays some hockey, but you don’t truly have a hockey player that’s a member of the team in the moments that matter the most.”
Colorado Hockey Night was a great experience for the Avalanche and the youth teams as they continued to promote the importance of the mental side of being a hockey player.
