The latest youth hockey initiative from the organization is centered around equipping teachers around the city with the gear and skills they need to make hockey a unit in their classes. By helping teachers from different middle schools across Clark County, Flynn thinks that hockey will reach children at an important age.
"There's so many ways that we can be impactful," Flynn said. "If we tried to do this one school at a time, it would take forever."
Flynn started the session explaining to more than 20 teachers what the Golden Knights youth hockey programs provide and the things their students can expect to learn from hockey. It goes beyond playing the sport: hockey teaches children valuable life lessons including teamwork, coachability and respect.
"We try to intermix life skills as much as possible," Flynn said. "You can have coaches, but as a young boy or girl, you need to be coachable. You need to be able to listen and respect your elders and know that someone is trying to help you."
By bringing teachers from different schools together, Flynn ensures that the game is taught at the same high level at every middle school in the area.
"If we can get all the gear directly to the schools, get all the teachers to us, explain the methodology and let them experience it, it will help them help their kids the best," Flynn said.
After showing teachers through stickhandling, passing and shooting drills, Flynn emphasized to the teachers that teaching hockey is about more than just learning how to play the sport that they might have seen in person or on television.
"We're teaching things like eye contact, a firm handshake and general life skills about working as a team," Flynn said. "We try to mix all of that in."
