When the Vancouver Canucks look for their next coach or general manager, they might want to turn to a trio of students from Ladner’s Neilson Grove Elementary.
Lincoln Pavlich, Rhys Dupuis and Charlie Taylor are the Grade 3 students behind the Neilson Grove Primary Hockey League and celebrated the league’s success last Thursday with a school-wide indoor floor hockey tournament.
The idea came about following a challenge from principal Danica Palmer.
“At the beginning of September we had a welcoming ceremony and I challenged the kids to be their own hero and if they wanted something to happen they could make it happen,” Palmer recalled. “So they came to see me a couple weeks after the assembly to ask if they could start a hockey club at lunch. I said sure and gave them a few ideas, but the boys organized and got everyone set up and excited and it’s been a lot of fun.”
Palmer said the three boys were the first ones off the mark with the idea of a new school club and are by far the most organized and enthusiastic.
“There were some great ideas, but some others didn’t have the same organization as these guys. They got it done and have set a great example for the rest of the school,” she said. “They are amazing. I’m so impressed. I guess I should stop underestimating my Grade 3s. They rose to the challenge.”
Pavlich said he loves playing hockey and wanted to create something fun for him and his friends.
“It’s a sport that I really like and I wanted to give the kids at school a chance to try it and see how much fun it is,” Pavlich said. “I’m the head coach and my other two friends are assistant coaches and they help out to set up the gym. It’s really fun. A lot of kids come to play.”
