MEDIA CLIPS Columbus Blue Jackets at Montreal Canadiens November 12, 2019
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MEDIA CLIPS Columbus Blue Jackets at Montreal Canadiens November 12, 2019 Columbus Blue Jackets Immigrant kids learn hockey through Blue Jackets’ initiative By Allison Ward – The Columbus Dispatch – November 10, 2019 Most of the students at the street hockey clinic held late last month ranged in age from kindergarten to eighth grade and were from Bhutan, Congo, Nepal and Myanmar. The clinics are part of the Blue Jackets’ and National Hockey League’s “Hockey Is for Everyone” initiative, which seeks to break down barriers to the sport and provide access where it might not otherwise be available. As 6-year-old Cing Kim approached the front of the line, Columbus Blue Jackets representative Joe Renza placed a hockey stick in her hand. Though still unsure of exactly how to wield the stick, the kindergartner at Valley Forge Elementary School took a whack at the orange street hockey ball in front of her. Gooaaalll! The pint-sized scorer flashed a giant grin as she high-fived one of her after-school instructors. Want more inspiring news? Head over to Dispatch.com/TheGoodLife and sign up for our happy news newsletter and join The Good Life Facebook group where you can share your good news. Cing was the smallest of the 70 or so children gathered at Columbus Global Academy on the Northeast Side for a street hockey clinic as part of an ongoing partnership between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services (ETSS), a local nonprofit that helps immigrants and refugees from any country establish roots and gain self-sufficiency in Columbus. Most of the students at the clinic held late last month ranged in age from kindergarten to eighth grade and were from Bhutan, Congo, Nepal and Myanmar. The clinics are part of the Blue Jackets’ and National Hockey League’s “Hockey Is for Everyone” initiative, which seeks to break down barriers to the sport and provide access where it might not otherwise be available. Suhely Hakim, 11, perhaps the tallest student of the group, shared in the excitement of the moment when he buried the ball in the back of the net. “That’s two in a row!” the Zenith Academy fifth-grader said after one of his turns with the stick. This isn’t the first time that executives with ETSS have seen this elation at trying the sport, one that is unfamiliar to many of the young people and families the organization serves. This was the fifth session since February that the Blue Jackets have hosted at one of the nonprofit’s nine locations — churches, schools and other venues — in central Ohio. The NHL team also has provided tickets to these children and their parents to several Blue Jackets games and even held a meet-and-greet with defenseman Seth Jones. “Our kids have a lot of challenges when they come to this country,” said Amanuel Merdassa, director of youth programs for ETSS. “They’re new. They don’t speak the language. When they move here, it’s almost too complicated for them to comprehend … but this type of interaction helps with that trauma issue.” Even simple things can seem scary to an immigrant child, from what a classroom looks like here — many of these children attended school outside or in tents — to going to a cafeteria for lunch. And they often are behind in subjects such as reading and math, especially given the language barrier, Merdassa said. “It’s like falling into the middle of the ocean without any survival skills,” he said, adding that this is an example of ETSS programs trying to fill gaps. “They start isolating themselves. They experience desperation and don’t want to go to school.” An hour of play, learning a new skill and a visit from Blue Jackets mascot Stinger can work wonders, Merdassa said. Hockey is something that they can share with their American peers. “A lot of these are kids who have never picked up sticks,” said Renza, fan development coordinator for the Blue Jackets. “It’s very elementary — how to hold a stick, passing, shooting and trying to relate to some experience they may have had.” Although the Blue Jackets have held many clinics across central Ohio during their 20 years of existence, the program’s mission has taken on new life with the recent ETSS partnership, Renza said. It marks the first time the team has donated full sets of adult and youth street hockey equipment to one of its clinic sites — in this case, enough for 20 adults and 20 kids. It also will host training for ETSS staff. “ETSS is ready to run their own street hockey program,” Renza said. “They’ll be self-sufficient, and the Blue Jackets are giving them the nudge to create a program where they can play year-round.” Part of the relationship’s success has come from how engaged the young people are, ETSS executives said. The volume level, which could be heard outside of the cafeteria at Columbus Global Academy, demonstrated the participants’ excitement as the pupils raced to put on jerseys, cheered on classmates during a drill and erupted with each score. “It felt good when I shot it,” said 10-year-old David Sang, a fifth-grader at Valley Forge Elementary School. “And I got to meet Stinger.” Kim Cing, 12, a seventh-grader at Woodward Park Middle School, said she was nervous but had fun. She said she found scoring to be the most difficult part. “If you don’t do it right, you won’t get it in,” she said. Still, she was able to score a few times during a drill. Those who work daily with the children said they have seen improvements in the kids’ confidence, social skills and overall mental health due to the street hockey program. “It creates a sense of belonging that only sports can bring,” said Jennifer Drury, ETSS lead youth program coordinator. No matter what their experiences have been, knowing that someone, such as the Blue Jackets, in their newly adopted community cares for them helps with their assimilation, said Lilu Terefe, ETSS youth program manager. “At the end of the day, whether refugee or American, they’re just kids,” Terefe said, “and they want to get away from the pressures of life and just play.” Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 11.12.2019 Blue Jackets' Nick Foligno may be suspended over hit By Brian Hedger – The Columbus Dispatch – November 11, 2019 MONTREAL, Quebec — When the door to the visitors locker room swung open Saturday night, it wasn’t hard to find Nick Foligno inside. The Blue Jackets captain stood in front of his locker with a flat-brimmed ballcap on his head and a grim look on his face. After watching replays of his illegal hit on Colorado Avalanche center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare late in the second period of the Jackets’ 4-2 loss at the Pepsi Center, Foligno knew there was explaining to do. “I actually didn’t know I hit him in the head at all,” he said of Bellemare, who left the game and didn’t return. “That’s the reason I was reacting the way I did (on the ice). And then I saw the replay.” Foligno, who was assessed a major penalty for charging and a game misconduct, learned Sunday that he will also have a hearing by phone Monday with the NHL’s department of player safety. That often leads to a suspension and/or fine, which would be no more than five games since the hearing is by phone. Fines and a suspension, however, were not foremost on Foligno’s mind after the game. “My main concern is that he’s all right, and it sounds like he’s feeling all right, not too bad,” said Foligno, who sought out an update on Bellemare before the game ended. “It just sucks. I’ve never been in this situation before in 13 years I’ve played. It’s a hard one for me. Never want to hurt anyone.” Foligno’s history and widely held respect across the league should help, but it was also a hit that looked bad from every angle — from his skates leaving the ice to his right forearm impacting Bellemare’s jaw, sending the veteran forward backward in a fall that led to his head bouncing off the ice. In a number of ways, it was exactly the kind of hit the NHL wants to eliminate — where the principal point of contact is the head. Nobody understands that more than Foligno, whose postgame comments were contrite and reflected the serious nature of what happened. “There was no intent to hit him like that at all,” he said. “I’m trying to line him up at the time, and then he kind of turns back and makes that play." Foligno is no angel on the ice, willing to drop the gloves and throw big hits, but he has played it clean throughout his career. “My track record speaks for itself,” he said. “I would never maliciously try to hurt somebody. And it made me sick (to see the replay). I’m still sick to my stomach the way he kind of went down, but I mean, that’s the way this game goes sometimes. It happens so fast. My main concern is that he’s OK, and we’ll go from there.” Roster moves Sunday was a travel day for the Blue Jackets, who will practice Monday in Montreal. They did make four roster moves, including rookie goalie Elvis Merzlikins returning from the Cleveland Monsters.