Matheson Visits Virtual Class for Everfi's Future Goals Program

Mike Matheson is riding shotgun in a car traveling from Fort Lauderdale, FL, to Buffalo, NY.

If the distance between the two cities is approximately 1,300 miles and the car is moving at an average speed of 70 mph throughout the entire duration, how long will it take him to reach his final destination?

Times up! If you got 18.57 hours, you nailed it! If not, don't worry - this won't affect your final grade.

As for Matheson, being the central figure of a math problem is nothing new. As one of the ambassadors of the NHL's Future Goals program, the Florida Panthers defenseman's likeness is currently being used in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) "Hockey Scholar" classes in South Florida.

Created by Everfi, the "Hockey Scholar" program guides students through 12 different hockey-themed learning modules that test their knowledge on core STEM concepts. Then, when they're outside of the classroom, the program let's students experience the game of hockey first-hand with floorball clinics.

Through the program, students are able to gain a better understanding of the following STEM topics:

• Engineering behind equipment

• Calculating ice surface area and volume

• Circumference, area of circles, radius & diameter

• States of matter & phase changes

• Examination of mass, velocity, and kinetic energy

• Manipulating variables to run experiments

• Data analysis and drawing conclusions

"You can tell that the kids love playing ball hockey outside, but then to see them use it in the classroom like this, it's cool to see," Matheson said while visiting a local school in 2018. "First off, they have access to laptops for every kid. When I was their age, there was no chance we'd have an opportunity like that.

"It's really cool they have a chance to do that. They can take real life experiences, things they'd take from watching our games, and then apply it to learning mathematics and science in the classroom."

In continuation of his work with the "Hockey Scholar" program, and with students now working from home rather than school due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Matheson recently participated in a Zoom call with middle schoolers from over 20 schools throughout Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade Counties.

With hockey sticks poking out from behind him and his dog, Hank, napping in the backseat, Matheson answered pre-submitted questions from students while he and his wife, Emily, a fellow defenseman and Olympic gold medalist for Team USA, were driving up to Buffalo (don't worry, Emily was driving during the Q&A).

"He's a little bored," Matheson said with a laugh when asked about Hank.

As the drive continued, Matheson fielded a series of questions from a live audience of students, which were being relayed to him by Panthers digital host Katie Gaus. There were some true or false questions, a round of trivia and one student even asked him how he fit hockey into his busy schedule in college.

Prior to joining the Panthers, Matheson earned his degree while playing for Boston College.

"School has always been very important to me," Matheson said. "That's why I chose to go to college and pursue a degree there. Obviously, there were some nights that were more difficult where you'd have to stay up and study and have a big test the next day.

"As you go along and as you grow up, you guys are all in middle school right now, so you're facing the adversity that you're facing now. The next step will be high school and then after that hopefully college. Each new step will bring new challenges. It's just about continuing to stay focused."

As the virtual class started to wind down, Matheson addressed the entire group of students directly.

"Thank you so much for all your questions," he said. "I had a lot of fun doing this with you guys. I hope you guys did too. I hope you're all staying safe through all of this. Hopefully today was a change of pace."

With schools closed throughout South Florida, the Panthers would like to encourage both parents and teachers to check out the Future Goals program at home by visiting Video: Everfi Trivia: Hank.

"It's great to see how many students are participating in Future Goals, especially in these difficult times" said Panthers Senior Director of the Florida Panthers Foundation and Community Relations John Colombo. "It's incredible to see how much they're learning through hockey. We believe that having a professional like Mike Matheson get involved will only increase their desire to learn even more."