HockeyCanada.ca/Community launched on Wednesday with the first edition of Tom’s Talks – a monthly video blog from president and CEO Tom Renney who discusses his thoughts on topics ranging from the women’s game to coaching, all at the grassroots level. For October, Renney kicks off the season with a welcome to new and returning players, and talks about the women’s game, which will be celebrated Oct. 7-9 at events across Canada and abroad through World Girls’ Hockey Weekend.

The Community page will be updated weekly with fresh content, including interesting grassroots hockey stories from across the country, and the monthly mainstays:

• Hockey Canada Ambassador – a program where Canadians are encouraged to nominate a volunteer who helps make hockey happen in their community. One Hockey Canada Ambassador will be featured every month from among the submissions; and

• Great Canadians – a monthly feature on a prominent Canadian who may or may not have made a career out of the game, but who has taken the life-lessons they’ve learned through hockey and applied them to do great things in their lives outside the rink.

“Our mission at Hockey Canada is to lead, develop, and promote positive hockey experiences. For me, that begins at the grassroots level, and the Hockey Canada Community brings that to life in a very meaningful way,” said Renney. “Hockey is about more than learning to skate, pass, and score or stop goals – it’s about the life-skills every player, coach, official, and volunteer takes away from the game that makes them better citizens. In every corner of the country, people come up to me to tell me about how the game has been a positive influence in their lives. Our goal is for the Hockey Canada Community to become the go-to vehicle for telling those great stories about our great game.”

For more information on the Hockey Canada Community page, please visit HockeyCanada.ca/Community, or follow along through social media on Facebook and Twitter.