'Dream come true': Free goalie camp helps Alberta mom honour her boys
More than two dozen goaltenders-in-training spent the weekend learning from some of the best.
The second-annual R&R Goaltending Camp brought 36 players together in Terwillegar for three free days of training.
Tracy Stark, founder of the R&R Empowering Society of Alberta, started the camp last year in honour of her two sons, Ryder and Radek, who were killed in 2016.
"I just wanted to do something to make them proud and let their legacies live on," Stark said. "It was my dream come true to make this happen."
Stark said goalie training camps are some of the most expensive, and she wanted to offer the experience to children who would otherwise not be able to afford going.
Interest exploded after last year's camp, Stark said, so they expanded the program.
"We had an overwhelming amount of applications," Stark added. "This year we added 12 more kids just to make sure that every kid got the attention that they needed."
Players ranged in age from nine to 18 years, with male and female coaches on site to help teach the boys and girls.
Koehn Ziemmer, drafted in the NHL last year by the Los Angeles Kings, returned to help teach at the camp for a second year.
He grew up near where Ryder and Radek were from, and said it's something special to be able to come back and help more kids in their honour.
"Some of them it's their first time putting on skates and even playing goalie," Siemmer said. "Just give them the opportunity and hopefully they can go out and have a good year this year and play hockey."
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Adel Ahmed
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Aviation experts say Russia's air defence fire likely caused Azerbaijan plane crash as nation mourns
Aviation experts said Thursday that Russian air defence fire was likely responsible for the Azerbaijani plane crash the day before that killed 38 people and left all 29 survivors injured.
Police identify victim of Christmas Day homicide in Hintonburg, charge suspect
The Ottawa Police Service says the victim who had been killed on Christmas Day in Hintonburg has been identified.
Teen actor Hudson Meek, who appeared in 'Baby Driver,' dies after falling from moving vehicle
Hudson Meek, the 16-year-old actor who appeared in 'Baby Driver,' died last week after falling from a moving vehicle in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, according to CNN affiliate WVTM.
Pizza deliverer in Florida charged with stabbing pregnant woman at motel after tip dispute
A pizza deliverer in central Florida has been charged with pushing her way into a motel room with an accomplice and stabbing a pregnant woman after a dispute over a tip, authorities said.
Raised in Sask. after his family fled Hungary, this man spent decades spying on communists for the RCMP
As a Communist Party member in Calgary in the early 1940s, Frank Hadesbeck performed clerical work at the party office, printed leaflets and sold books.
Cat food that caused bird-flu death of Oregon pet was distributed in B.C.: officials
Pet food contaminated with bird flu – which killed a house cat in Oregon – was distributed and sold in British Columbia, according to officials south of the border.
Unwanted gift card in your stocking? Don't let it go to waste
Gift cards can be a quick and easy present for those who don't know what to buy and offer the recipient a chance to pick out something nice for themselves, but sometimes they can still miss the mark.
Sinkhole prompts lane closures on Interstate 80 in New Jersey
A sinkhole that opened up Thursday along Interstate 80 in northern New Jersey forced authorities to close the heavily travelled highway's eastbound lanes.
Boxing Day in Canada: Small retailers fear big shopping day won't make up for tough year
It’s one of the busiest shopping days of the year: Boxing Day sees thousands of people head to malls and big box stores to find great deals. But it's not so simple for smaller shops.