Kincardine Kinucks U13 team wins Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup Early Bird grand prize

The Kincardine Kinucks U13 (ages 13 and under) Local League Two hockey team has won the Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup Early Bird grand prize.

In early November of last year, team coach Bob Richards contacted Marina Wintemute and Tracy Primeau who were going to organize a used hockey equipment collection that would be eventually sent to northern Indigenous communities.

Wintemute is a local nurse who also spends time in such places as Cross Lake and Pukatawagan, Manitoba, providing medical nursing services. She has seen first-hand the struggles these communities have in getting decent hockey gear for their children.

Primeau (Anishaabe-owe) is a retired Bruce Power shift manager and a member of the Nippissing First Nations.

Richards, being a Metis and involved as a volunteer in hockey for almost 30 years, thought this was a great cause in which the team could participate.

The Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup is a national program/contest that encourages young hockey teams do a good deed no matter what it is. This year, organizers have a new purpose. They want everyone to rally together to make hockey more inclusive than ever.

What better way to make hockey inclusive than collect gear and send it to those who could use it. Richards applied for the Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup and was approved to submit an entry.

Saturday, Dec. 5, Wintemute and Primeau co-ordinated a drop-off of gear at a local storage unit facility. Richards put notifications about the event on social media and then brought available players from his Under-13 team to assist in unloading the gear being donated.

“The response from our small community was amazing,” said Richards. “In three hours, we filled an entire storage unit with hockey equipment. We plan to organize another drop-off in early spring and then sort and clean the gear.”

During this time, Richards took pictures and video to be combined into the 60-second video to be submitted to the Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup. The video was submitted Dec. 30.

Monday, Jan. 17, Richards was notified by the Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup organizers that the team had won the Early Bird grand prize for all of Canada. This means the Kincardine Kinucks team will be filmed by Rogers SportsNet and, eventually, the footage will be used to introduce a Hockey Night in Canada broadcast. The date for filming this segment in Kincardine has not been determined yet.



Coach Bob Richards (left) and the U13 Kincardine Kinucks with their Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup Early Bird grand prize; photos courtesyof Bob Richards

From there, all submitted videos for the Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup will be reviewed by contest organizers and by using a graded approach, they will pick 12 regional finalists (one from each province and one more for the combined three territories).

Successful applicants will be announced on Rogers SportsNet during one of the Hockey Night in Canada programs. Selections will be made using the following criteria:
 

• Demonstrate how the Good Deed brought inclusivity in the game of hockey
• Showcase how the Good Deed could continue to support inclusivity in the community after the conclusion of the contest
• Showcase the team’s enthusiasm in the video
• Clarity of the Good Deed

The champion selection process takes place between Feb. 26 and March 19. Residents of Canada will vote for their favourite entry on www.chevroletgooddeedscup.ca. The champion will be awarded $100,000 do be donated to a charity of its choice. The remaining 11 regional finalists will be awarded $2,000 to be awarded to a charity of their choice.

The Kincardine Kinucks chose First Assist of Ottawa as their charity. It is run by former NHL player John Chabot, who is also an Anishinabeg Algonquin from Kitigan Zibi First Nation. He works with northern Indigenous communities to provide on-site education and sports integration programs to enhance the mental, emotional and physical well-being of youth in Indigenous communities across Canada. The Kinucks are also going to work together and figure out how to transport this hockey gear to the northern communities.

“This entire process has been quite amazing,” said Richards. “Having the young boys from my hockey team participate in this Good Deed will leave a lasting memory for them, not only by being featured on Rogers SportsNet, but by learning that sometimes, doing the smallest, good deed, can make a big impact on those who are the recipients.

“Obviously, we would like to win the championship, but if we don’t, we still did a Good Deed that we will remember forever.”



Tracy Primeau (left) and Marina Wintemute with the U13 Kincardine Kinucks, working together to collect used hockey gear



The U13 Kincardine KInucks' 60-second video, submitted to the Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup; video courtesy of Bob Richards