NEWS » s gun to his superb match at Lords last week. It is no

TORONTO -- Last winter, Hockey Canada and Bauer Hockey Inc. commissioned an independent survey to better understand the challenges facing non hockey-playing families. Thats because according to the two organizations, approximately 90 per cent of Canadian families choose to not have their kids play hockey. So a survey of 875 non hockey-playing families in Ontario and Nova Scotia was conducted to better understand why they dont play the game and the top four reasons given were a) it wasnt fun b) was too time consuming c) safety concerns d) and affordability. The good news is 73 per cent of those surveyed also said theyd consider putting their kids in the game in future while 40 per cent said theyd definitely consider it. Hockey Canada and Bauer Canada unveiled pilot programs Thursday at Mattamy Athletic Centre (formerly Maple Leaf Gardens) for launch in Ontario and Nova Scotia this fall to address the survey findings. Its the next phase in Grow The Game, an initiative launched last year to add one million new players by 2022. "What this does is (set off) that little bell," said Paul Carson, Hockey Canadas vice-president of hockey development. "Its a reminder that youve got promote the game in a way people understand the fun and positive experiences youngsters have in the sport." Former NHL star Mark Messier is assisting Bauer and Hockey Canada in their quest to get more players in the game. The six-time Stanley Cup champion says theres more to hockey in Canada than making it to the NHL, winning gold medals on the world stage and playing at the highest rep level. "That is a great part of our game, we all know that, I mean I lived it, so many Canadians have lived it and fans live it," Messier said. "But hockey is so much more than that for our children and thats the idea were trying to get across that it doesnt have to be that. "Im in no way demeaning those programs because theres a need for that and theres kids who are ready for that. But its the other kids we need to pay attention to and theres a lot of those kids who are kind of getting bypassed right now." Six-week pilot programs will be launched this fall and next spring in Hamilton, the Toronto neighbourhood of Scarborough, Halifax and East Hants, N.S. Bauer, Hockey Canada and local governing bodies will host fun days for parents and children while also providing information on hockey safety and educating on proper equipment fit, among other subjects. As well, enrolment and equipment will be bundled together at $100. Once the programs are launched, they will be re-evaluated and expanded into other regions. Kevin Davis, the president and chief executive officer of Bauer, said addressing the issue of hockey affordability was important. "We just want to completely remove that from being a barrier and its a compelling offer relative to other sports," he said. "Again, its a pilot program and were going to roll this out and see what kind of success (we have) and my guess is were going to learn some stuff as we go. "We have a responsibility to our shareholders to grow the company but we have a responsibility to the sport. This is the heart of hockey here in Canada . . . were committed to getting more kids on the ice." Messier, for one, was stunned by the survey results. "I think it comes to a shock to everybody," he said. "We like to consider ourselves at the top of the pyramid in hockey around the world and if were going to stay there . . . we have to continue to develop our talent pool. "In order to do that we have to continue to introduce the game to more kids, get more kids playing and keep those kids that do try it in the game. This is one way, hopefully, we can start to do that. Were trying to send the message now that hockey is for everybody and theres a place for everybody if you want to play hockey." Messier said its important for kids to have alternate places to play other than rep or travel leagues. "We dont want to make our kids feel like theyre failures because that (rep, AAA) isnt for them or theyre not ready for that," he said. "Right now theres not a real soft place for them to land if they dont make that but still love the game. "If theyre not in the game they cant make it so were going to keep the kids in the game, theyre going to more fun and theyre going to be passionate about it. If they do develop and get that keen sense of passion that you need to play at that intense level, I think were going to have more kids who are funnelling through that, it just might take them a little longer."Harrison Butker Chiefs Jersey . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. Tyrann Mathieu Jersey . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . http://www.thechiefsshoponline.com/Youth-Len-Dawson-Chiefs-Jersey/ . -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf. Harrison Butker Jersey . LOUIS -- Cardinals cleanup hitter Allen Craig says hes recovered from a foot injury and ready to be put on St. Joe Montana Chiefs Jersey . The 29-year-old from Port Colborne, Ont., has nothing but good things to say about former U.S. marine Liz (Girlrilla) Carmouche ahead of their co-main event Wednesday on the UFCs "Fight for the Troops" televised card in Fort Campbell, Ky.Thinking back to the English summer of cricket, I first remembered a conversation with Steven Finn after the second Test against Sri Lanka. I asked him about James Vince, whose selection had delighted anyone with Hampshire cricket in their veins and anyone else who appreciated batting in its purest form. I was worried that Vince was confused by the demands of the higher game and was therefore afraid to parade his gifts. Finn told me to rest easy. Vince, he said, was the real deal; so much so that the bowlers didnt much like lining up against him. He had time to play, said Finn, making a quick bowler feel as if he were letting it go at gentle medium. I wondered about saying this to Vince, but I dont know him well and decided not to meddle.Had I been his captain or coach, Id have told him to puff out his chest a bit. Batsmen need to create ownership, especially if they dont already have it. The Vince we love watching for Hampshire has a calm authority that is the envy of others. The one for England these past few months has been reticent. Sadly, at this first attempt, the Hampshire captain was unable to pass the ultimate test - the test that consumes us all.I like chatting with Finn. His honesty is refreshing, he is engaging and generally wise. As Middlesex surged to the County Championship title on Friday afternoon last, he knocked over Yorkshires Steve Patterson with a pearler of a full and fast outswinger. Watching his celebration, I figured all must be well with his world after a difficult period in an England shirt during the early part of the summer.At the other end Toby Roland-Jones was bowling in a manner that surely impressed all the old fast-mediums tuned in. Fellows such as Ken Higgs, who passed away recently, Peter Lever, Geoff Arnold, Chris Old and Mike Hendrick, Neil Foster, Angus Fraser, Andy Caddick, Dominic Cork and Matthew Hoggard, to name but a few. It is old news now, but to win the Championship with a hat-trick is a history-maker of note. Roland-Jones is a big man and immensely strong. It appears that Gus Fraser has rubbed some of the old magic on the boy: You miss, I hit was very Fraser, and now it seems, is very Middlesex dressing-room. The coach there is Richard Scott, who plays his own part deliberately low-key. Scotty was with Hampshire till lack of opportunity drove him to Gloucestershire. He had a fantastic ball-striking ability, far greater than his record suggests. He would have prospered in the freer-spirited atmosphere of todays game.Back to Vince. Correctly, he has been left out of the tour to Bangladesh. Ill bet he is mentally shot. Ill also bet that in the long term Finn is right, but we must wait the day. The spotlight caught Vince off guard. He is a shy soul, provincially so. After a few mistakes, the constant media examination and analysis are impossible to ignore. He cover-drives the ball close to perfectly but lost his chutzpah to do so. Half-heartedly, Test match after Test match, he fell on that very sword: the strength that betrays you as weakness. He is not the first, nor will he be the last. Even the best have to wade through the morass. David Gower was brilliant square of the wicket off either foot, but during a slump, the strokes that helped make his name cost him his place. Mind you, the analysts in his day didnt pick at the carcass as they do now. The selectors picked the right man. The right man failed them. A shame indeed, but dont give up on him. We all develop at a different pace. The problem for the selectors is getting it right. Talent is easy enough to see, temperament is not. When Tony Greig was searching for a batsman to repel first Lillee and Thomson and then the West Indians, he took a poll among the umpires. The question was simple - who is the hardest man to dismiss on the county circuit? Geoff Boycott, they cried. But Geoff wasnt up for it. Whos next? asked Greeig.dddddddddddd David Steele, they whispered, not truly believing they would see it for themselves. When they turned on the telly, there was Steele - or Groucho Marx as Thommo called him - marching out to bat at Lords. Nothing funny about it. Steele ended up as the BBCs Sports Personality of the Year. He would be the first to admit he didnt have Vinces sublime gift of timing, but he had a mountain of courage and temperament. Batting talent is mainly perceived as strokeplay but this is misleading. Talent is given in different forms and Steele, like Boycott, had plenty of his own.Not truly satisfied with Alex Hales against the red ball, the selectors have made two riveting juxtaposition choices to battle for his spot alongside Alastair Cook. Ben Duckett plays with fearless abandon, Haseeb Hameed with more modest intent. Hameed had made his impact in the first division, however - a definite plus mark. Duckett has torn the second division to shreds, as Vince sort of did in 2014. We shall see. It may be easier to fly under the radar in Bangladesh. Whichever one of them gets first dibs will almost certainly be given the series. Duckett has an advantage there in that he will open in the one-day games first and could make an unanswerable case with an innings or two that matches those for Northamptonshire this summer. If not, Hameed is pencilled in anyway.English batting is changing. Inherent fear - a reference to the glass being half-empty - has been replaced by a gratifying sense of adventure, as if cricket is for fun. This is the most encouraging thing to happen to the game across these green and pleasant fields in a long time. It has made England an enterprising and exciting side to watch, albeit one prone to a tumble. Rather that, though, than the meek surrender of days gone by.The Test series against Pakistan was a belter and 2-2 was about the right result. It was no bad thing that England didnt win, for the team has a way to go. For much of the summer Cook alluded to the periods when concentration and/or metal stamina go absent without leave. This is both cockiness and laziness, and it is a legacy of all that T20 brings - among them a lack of care for defence of the wickets. Its too glib to say you cannot have both enterprise and discipline. You can. Joe Root proved it with his fabulous 254 at Old Trafford; Younis Khan with his double-hundred at the Oval. These were two innings of substance and style that matched any played by the legends of the past.The only selection surprise that I could see was the omission of the Middlesex opener Nick Gubbins. What a gem he looks! We must assume Fraser, who is an England selector as well as the Middlesex director of cricket, knows best, for he has seen Gubbins from the starters gun to his superb match at Lords last week. It is no exaggeration to say that Middlesex would not have won without him.This is a good time for cricket at the top level. The price is high because the players have earned the board the chance to up the ante. International cricket usually receives the focus of general attention, but that extraordinary climax to the Championship brought the very best of crickets myriad attractions to the table in just four days of fascinating play across the land. There were winners and losers and saints and sinners, with teams caught the right side and the wrong side of the line. We should celebrate the fact that English cricket is not lagging behind. The advent of a new city-based T20 competition will allow it to become a market leader. But the Championship and the resulting Test match team are the soul of a game spawned every bit as much in the mining communities as within the estates of country houses. Cricket is no kind of a game without its soul. ' ' '