Sabres forward Malenstyn, HEROS Hockey mentor gives back to kids in British Columbia

NORTH DELTA, British Columbia -- When Beck Malenstyn stepped onto the ice at the North Delta Recreation Center with 20 kids from HEROS Hockey last month, it was a full-circle moment on several fronts for the 28-year-old Buffalo Sabres forward.

It was a chance for Malenstyn to pay forward some of the inspirational opportunities to skate with players he aspired to be while growing up in the area, as well as a chance to set an example for his own young children to see the importance of giving back to the community. But it also reunited him with Kevin Hodgson, executive director for HEROS Hockey, and someone he got to know playing junior hockey in Calgary more than a decade ago.

Hodgson and his family billeted good friend Jakob Stukel when they played together for Calgary of the Western Hockey League. Malenstyn was a regular visitor and took part in some HEROS Hockey events. So when he was looking for ways to get involved in the community as a new member of the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition, the fit was perfect.

"That was kind of my first experience with it and then constantly seeing all the work Kevin has done and how amazing the HEROS Hockey brand has become, I reached out," Malenstyn said. "These kids are awesome. The effort that's put in, not only from the coaches and the teachers but everybody involved, you can really see it rub off on the kids. They're extremely polite, they ask amazing questions, and they just have a ton of fun doing what they're doing, and I think that's the best part of it. They're building great people while learning the skills of hockey, and it's just an amazing thing to be a part of."

None of the 20 kids who made the 90-minute ferry ride from Victoria on nearby Vancouver Island would be playing hockey if not for HEROS, which stands for Hockey Education Reaching Out Society, and its volunteers. The kids ranged from 11 to 14 years old, and face a variety of barriers to playing hockey, from social to financial to cognitive to physical.

"Two years ago, I couldn't even figure out how to stand up, I couldn't skate," said 13-year-old Titan Beckford, who has two prosthetic legs. 

Beckford also plays sled hockey but prefers to use his "hockey legs" to play with younger brother Jet, 12, and HEROS Hockey. 

"I like stand-up hockey more," he said. "It was hard at first, but I just figured out the balance."

Some had never even been off the island before joining Malenstyn on the ice for an upbeat 75-minute practice and lunch afterward at his family's nearby farm and restaurant. The NHL covered the costs for the day, including transportation and food, as part of Malenstyn's role as a member of the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition.

"We want our teams to be reflective of their communities," Hodgson said. "Diversity just ends up being a part of that, as opposed to saying we specifically are targeting this population or that population. These boys and girls are snapshots of the demographics if you walk down the hallways of their schools or through their neighborhoods." 

The chance to spend half a day on and off the ice getting to know an NHL forward like Malenstyn isn't so much about learning how to score goals as it is how to set them.

"We try to expose them to a lot of people who have set big goals for themselves, chased them down, and made them happen," Hodgson said. "They need to be inspired by that, whatever their dream is. I was recently at an event where one of our players was called to the bar and is a lawyer now and we have other kids who are apprentice electricians, and that's their big goal. We need to celebrate the work they put into it, not whether they do it on TV or not, so this is an opportunity for them to learn from Beck, learn how he made it happen, but also learn you can be the same good person all the way along."

Guided by the four HEROS Hockey behaviors they shouted in unison before the skate started -- listen, respect, discipline and have fun -- it's common for players to stay involved as they get older, often as mentors, or "Super-HEROS" as founder Norm Flynn calls them. 

That includes Isla Gelling's two older brothers, Rowan and Orry.

"I broke my arm, so I couldn't play for a while," said Isla, 11, "so I was behind when I joined but one of them was a helper and would stay with me, help me learn how to skate before I would go out with everyone."

That's representative of the character HEROS kids take back into the community, said Tim Murphy, principal at Marigold Elementary and a program organizer in Victoria for eight years.

"This was one of the major strategies we used to try and keep them on track and feeling positive and feeling they can contribute," Murphy said. "All the skills you gain on the ice, that team connectedness. I've seen a very traumatized child stop what they're doing, turn around, and help another kid up.

"And that's a kid that at home or school I have a tough time supporting, but on the ice you don't have to ask them to do a lot other than follow the four behaviors and be their best selves. And that includes what you do in the dressing room, so now we're starting to see these kids as high school students feeding these kids with positive behaviors."

And having fun while they do it.

"Just the curiosity, the laughs that you get out of the kids, watching all the antics that you definitely did when you were that age," Malenstyn said when asked about his favorite part of the day. "Anytime that you're able to immerse yourself in it, it's just so fulfilling. They bring an energy and excitement that reminds you why we play in the first place."