The Springbank Rockies Peewee 1 Blue team would like to express our sincere thanks to all the families and arenas that helped with the collection of sticks for Peyton Kalbfleisch, a 15 year old who builds chairs out of hockey sticks as part of his therapy after two brain tumours and multiple surgeries.

The team delivered 781 sticks to Peyton’s house this past weekend while attending a tournament in Sherwood Park where Peyton lives. We first met Peyton at the rink on Saturday while attending a game hosted by the Sherwood Park Kings Midget AAA team. Peyton is the Honorary Captain of the team and attends all games and team meetings, and even travels with the team, rooming with the players. We learned first-hand that Peyton’s true passion is hockey and he has been embraced by many in the hockey community there.

We were also fortunate enough to meet Peyton’s mom, Tracey, who is an amazing woman and who had some really great words for our players…the most important being to never take any day for granted and to just have fun being kids!

We then delivered the sticks to Peyton’s house, saw some of the awesome chairs that he makes, enjoyed a team dinner organized by Tracey (Nitza’s Pizza, the Ridgemont Way location…great location for a team dinner if anyone is heading there!), and then more socializing back at the team hotel where Peyton played some poker with our dads and Tracey was made an Honorary Hockey Mom of PW1 Blue. It’s an experience we will remember forever.

Special thanks to Springbank Park for All Seasons for allowing us to store a collection bin at the rink, as well as Edge School and Winsport for their donation of sticks on hand and saving them for us over the three week period we were collecting. The support from the rinks and the families was so much more than we expected.

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The PW1 Blue team is embarking on a mission to collect as many broken, outgrown and/or unwanted hockey sticks as we can to support Peyton Kalbfleisch, the 15 year old from Sherwood Park featured in the City TV News story below.  Peyton’s passion is hockey but unfortunately, he is unable to play right now.  In 2008, Peyton was diagnosed with a brain tumor and a successful surgery left Peyton paralyzed on the left side.  Months of rehab gave him 75% gains.  In 2015 the tumor came back and was removed in 2018.  This time Peyton lost mobility in his right hand.  Peyton has had 12 surgeries to date.
Peyton and his occupational therapist came up with a project that Peyton would enjoy and would help strengthen his right hand.  Since his passion is hockey, he wanted to make an Adirondack Chair out of hockey sticks.  The first one was a success and he has now made 50+ chairs.  He produces them to sell and continue to strengthen his right side so that he will be able to write.  People buy his chairs as gifts, silent auction items, for the lake or just around the fire pit.  In order to keep up with the demand for his chairs he requires an endless supply of hockey sticks.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?  PLEASE DONATE ANY OLD/BROKEN/UNWANTED STICKS YOU HAVE!  THERE IS A COLLECTION BIN AT SPFAS.  IT IS LOCATED IN THE LOBBY BETWEEN THE TWO RINKS (BETWEEN THE STAIR/DRYLAND ENTRANCE DOORS AND THE DOOR TO RED DUTTON ARENA).  WE ARE ALSO HAPPY TO PICK UP FROM YOUR HOUSE!  PLEASE CONTACT Kari McNabb TO ARRANGE A TIME AND WE WILL SEND A PW1 BLUE PLAYER TO YOUR DOOR!
 
PW1 Blue will be collecting the sticks and taking them to Peyton while attending a tournament in Sherwood Park the first weekend in January.
Thank you for your help and please feel free to contact Kari McNabb if you have any questions at all!
Sincerely,
The PeeWee 1 Blue Team
Posted in Teamwork

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