For local hockey club, teamwork extends past the ice

Like pint-sized Santas, the hockey players in their red jerseys trooped into the Samaritan Center in Jefferson City carrying boxes and bags filled with canned goods.

Later that Friday, they carried large parcels filled with stuffed animals and backpacks into the Prenger Juvenile Attention Center.

Activities like these are why the Central Missouri Eagles Youth Hockey Club received the 2005 "Honoring the Game" award, bestowed by the Positive Coaching Alliance, a non-profit organization based at Stanford University.

The award recognizes sporting organizations that strive to help their players develop skills that will serve them throughout their lives.

The national award -- other sports groups in San Francisco and Washington, D.C. were also honored -- is a reflection of the sportsmanlike values Eagles' parents and coaches hope to instill.

It seems to be working.

Shivering briefly in the cold Friday, Brandon Tomblinson, a happy-go-lucky goalie with a smattering of freckles, said collecting the food, backpacks and toys was fun.

"Hockey isn't just about goals and winning games," he said. "It's about teamwork and making friends and good sportsmanship."

His friend, 13-year-old Kevin Adam, shared his outlook.

"At this age, it doesn't need to be so competitive," he said. "It's more about working together as a team."

At first he wasn't certain how he felt about the charitable collections. "But when you do (them), it's really cool. It's fun, actually," he added.

Girls play hockey, too, which is why Haley Bartow, 12, was also on hand Friday.

"The reason I like to play for the Eagles is it's more than a hockey team. We play to win, but we also play to have fun and help other kids out," she said.

Her father, Sam Bartow, helps coach the Pee Wees. He said they teach the kids the ROOTS philosophy, which is: Respect the other team, officials, teammates and yourself.

"The bottom line is, if you have to dishonor the game to win, it's not worth winning," he said.

In all, the kids collected 130 backpacks, 500 stuffed animals and 300 canned goods.

Samaritan Center Assistant Manager Richard Clarkston told the kids they probably provided enough food to help between 15 and 20 families.

"That's a pretty nice thing they did for us," he said. "I hope they come back again next year."

At the Prenger Family Center, Juvenile Court Administrator Winston Rutledge thanked and congratulated the hockey club members.

He said the youths at his facility can use the backpacks.

"Sometimes they come here on very short notice. They don't always have time to pack nicely. Sometimes they come here without being able to bring anything from home," said Rutledge. "These toys and backpacks remind them that other people are thinking about them. It makes them feel better about themselves."

About 60 children participate in the Eagles' youth hockey program.

Members of the Central Missouri Eagles hockey team unload canned food items from a van before carrying them into the Samaritan Center. (Julie Smith/News Tribune photo)