Joé Juneau’s youth hockey program continues

Young hockey players in Nunavik’s youth development hockey program wait for a turn on the ice at the Kuujjuaq Forum. (PHOTO BY JANE GEORGE)

KUUJJUAQ— “Bye Joé, see you Joé,” say kids as they file out of a Sept. 10 meeting with Joé Juneau in the Kuujjjuaq Forum.

Juneau, a former NHL star and Olympian, has spent the past three years trying to promote hockey, education and good citizenship in Nunavik through the region’s youth hockey development program.

This program recently brought 45 boys and girls, aged 11 and 12, to Kuujjuaq for four days of intensive hockey instruction and games.

When the kids weren’t on the rink, they kept up on their studies with the help of two tutors, retired Kativik School Board principal Claude Vallières and former KSB teacher Danielle Demers.

The top 15 of the 45 students who came to Kuujjuaq for the hockey try-outs will earn a place on Nunavik’s Peewee team and participate in hockey tournaments in southern Quebec after Christmas.

But even if players don’t make this select team, Juneau said they’ll continue to learn to play hockey according to Quebec Hockey Federation standards— and work towards a possible NHL career while they continuing their studies.

At least, that’s Juneau’s dream.

Juneau wants kids in Nunavik to have the same opportunities he did.

Throughout his career, Juneau, 41, balanced hockey and education: he earned all-star honours as a university player before playing for six NHL teams.

He also helped win a silver medal for Canada in the 1992 Albertville Olympic winter games.

But Juneau’s youth hockey program now faces new challenges, which have little to do with his past achievements, his commitment to the youth hockey program or the interest of Nunavik’s fledgling players.

The Kativik Regional Government, which started out as one of the youth hockey program’s most enthusiastic backers, recently decided to not to manage the program any longer.

Instead, Makivik Corp. is taking over as the new lead organization behind the program.

“We were hoping that [the] KRG could keep on administrating and coordinating the regional part of the program, but it was decided otherwise,” Juneau said.

Despite the change of command, Juneau maintains a positive attitude, saying it’s “absolutely wonderful to see that some people at Makivik and KSB are on board more than ever before.”

The KSB Council of Commissioners adopted a resolution on June 9 acknowledging the value of the program.

The KRG is still acting as a partner in the program, Juneau points out.

Juneau said he is “very glad” that the KRG has agreed to let recreation coordinator Sammy Koneak continue his involvement in the program, calling Koneak “a major key element to the success of it in the short and long run.”

But continued financial support for local hockey trainers via the KRG’s employment and training department will be important if the hockey program is to continue as before.

These trainers are supposed to make sure kids in the communities play hockey and stay motivated at school.

The KRG’s decision to pull away from the program may be linked to lukewarm support from some municipalities that didn’t welcome the added burden of making sure the local hockey trainers did their job and had all the hockey equipment and facilities in working order.

Last year, local youth hockey program supporters and participants in Ivujivik were frustrated by the lack of municipal action in their community which meant the hockey rink still wasn’t finished by the end of February.

But Juneau said municipalities should have even more reason to support the youth hockey program, especially now that Quebec has agreed to pay for multi-million-dollar arena renovations.

Flagging official support for the program may also be due to some critics in the region who say the youth hockey development program only helps kids who would do well anyway, or that Juneau is doing this just for himself.

What does Juneau think about this? Stopping to praise the the program’s supporters, he urges more people to get involved and stay involved before saying the program won’t work.

Juneau also said it’s time to emphasize that the youth hockey development program is not his program, “but the region’s.”

Juneau didn’t want his photo to be taken for this story.

This February, Juneau will be in British Columbia as the assistant Chef de Mission for Canada at the 2010 Vancouver winter Olympics.

And, after living for the past two years in Kuujjuaq, Juneau’s family has now moved back to the Quebec City area.

But Juneau said this doesn’t change his commitment to the Nunavik youth hockey development program.

Juneau plans to spend 16 weeks in Nunavik before Christmas working on the youth hockey development program.

“You put so much time and effort into it, you can’t let it go,” he said.