NHLers bide time with minor hockey

It's nice how idle NHLers such as Corey Perry  show up a Canadian minor hockey practices to thrill the kids and provide a little bit of celebrity coaching. It's an experience everyone wants and cellphone photos will be everywhere.
But I'll bet you dollars to doughnuts that minor hockey, Hockey Canada or whomever doesn't insist these NHLers pay for and sit through Speak Out courses before interacting with the kids. Speak Out is required for all team volunteers and has been since the sexual abuse scandals of Graham James, and likely others, finally came to light.
Truth is, most of these NHLers couldn't meet the test of being minor hockey volunteers, particularly when it comes to vocabulary in front of 11-year-olds or their off-ice conduct choices.
By contrast, consider how the minor hockey organization my son has played for treated an idea involving him and his juvenile team teammates.
The coach of a younger team asked juvenile players to attend practices to share skills and mentor the younger kids. Many juveniles - young referees, honour students, youth coaches were among their ranks - were interested and willing. But minor hockey insisted the teens take and pay for the course and submit to a police check before sharing the ice or changerooms with the younger kids.
Needless to say, the teens lost interest after simple volunteerism became so complex and costly.
Did NHLers like Perry submit to a police check? Learn about the Speak Out two in a room policy? Doubt it.

Perry honoured

How much does playing major junior hockey mean to a teenager?
Ask NHL superstar Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks, who cried Friday night at the John Labatt Centre when his number 94 was retired and raised to the rafters.
Perry, for my money the best Knight ever, couldn't contain his emotions as he recalled arriving in London as a 16-year-old, armed with dreams and desire but uncertain of where hockey would take him.
Turns out it took him to a Canadian major junior Memorial Cup, Stanley Cup and Olympic gold medal.
Not to shabby.
By the way, Corey makes his off-season home in London. Just a two-hour drive to Toronto and the Maple Leafs.

Knights honour Perry

Corey Perry, the best player to lace up for the major junior London Knights in the past decade, will have his No. 94 retired on Friday. His jersey joins those of successful NHLers such as Darryl Sittler (9), Rob Ramage (5), Dino Ciccarelli (9) and Brendan Shanahan (19). Oh yeah, Brad Marsh (22).
Ceremonies like this are fun, but largely overdone. I prefer the Toronto Maple Leafs system of honouring, but not retiring, numbers. Otherwise, it gets silly as is the case with the Montreal Canadiens, who have no cool numbers left after retiring so many numbers of so many great players.
Details about the Perry event are here.