Even with the economy hitting so many so hard this summer, Andy Clark still only has one thing on his mind: the expansion of the sport of hockey.

There’s only one way to combat the economy, and that’s to provide a low cost camp without skimping on the quality.
“If we don’t make the sport of hockey more affordable and more accessible, we are going to lose players,” says Clark, the founder of the Vail Mountaineer Hockey Clinics. “The sport is going to decline and that’s the opposite of what we are all trying to do.”

Yet not many are willing to offer low camp prices to make this happen.

This is the fifth year Clark has been running this camp and each year it’s a sellout. Local participants are charged $200 while out-of-district players pay $250. But that is far from the only selling points of this hockey haven.  

“You have to bring in guys that are committed to helping the sport grow,” says Clark. “Guys that want to give back.”
Insert the names of Barry Smith and Jim Bedard. Smith was for 12 years the associate coach to Scotty Bowman with the Detroit Red Wings and coaches in the Russian Premier League while Bedard served as the goaltending coach (Detroit).

“Coaches buy into the fact that it’s not just a AAA camp. We have A to C players,” explains Clark. “It’s always an A effort from these coaches.”

That’s because they don’t know how to teach any other way. Clark rants and raves about these guys. He is passionate and confident about their coaching. When he talks about his love for the game of hockey, you can’t help but trust he knows what he’s talking about.

Clark, who grew up in Minnesota and was an All American at St. Johns, would much rather talk about anything else but himself. When asked to describe his hockey background, it quickly takes a turn toward the guys he’s met and the guys he brings to the camp. And then there’s the obvious tie to the Red Wing association. His link from years ago is Dennis Hextal, who attends the camps each year, and has experience with the Minnesota North Stars, Oakland Seals and Red Wings.

These guys come out and play in Clark’s annual pond hockey championships as well and play rivals to his Mountaineers team. It’s a great relationship that Clark considers to be different and beneficial for the young talent that attends his camps.
“Take a look at the Stanley Cup finals this year,” he says confidently. “Who was the team that controlled the puck?”
Pittsburgh’s dump and chase tactics were unsuccessful against a Red Wing team that overmatched them in puck possession. And that’s what gets taught at the camps.

“We teach puck possession with guys that have been in that system for a long time.”

It’s a way for American players to bridge the gap. It’s a way to continue the growth and excitement of the sport of hockey.  

It’s a way for Clark to show his commitment to the sport of hockey, even in times like these.   

For more information go to www.vaileagleshockey.com.To register call Eagle Ice Arena at 970-328-5277.
 

Or check out their camp ad at http://coloradohockeyinsider.com/camps.html