On Wednesday, July 25, the Philadelphia Flyers’ official “Ambassador of Hockey,” Bob “The Hound” Kelly, was in town to lead “Hooked on Hockey,” an annual one-day hockey clinic for children.
But before the event began, Kelly, who currently resides in Marlton, received a key to the city, honoring him for all of his volunteer efforts.
The award was presented by Pattiann Ponichtera from Mayor Desiderio’s office. After the brief ceremony, Kelly was quick to get down to business and officially began the clinic.
“It’s great to be here,” Kelly said to the children at the onset of the clinic, “…and thanks for coming out on such a hot day.”
The former Flyer then went on to explain the basic fundamentals of the game and lead the students through various stretching exercises before running short drills.
The main goal of “Hooked on Hockey,” which was organized by the Philadelphia Flyers and hosted by the Sea Isle City Department of Recreation, is to create athletic awareness and teach children how they can benefit and have fun with the well-loved sport of hockey.
During the clinic, children also received information about the importance of good nutrition and a healthy diet; plus the young participants were given various gifts during the class, including Mylec hockey sticks, many of which Kelly personally autographed after “Hooked on Hockey” ended.
“We’ll reach over 400 kids in the tri-state area this summer, as far west as Lancaster, as far south as Delaware and even up in the Poconos,” said Robert Baer, Jr., Fan Development Manager for the Philadelphia Flyers.
“This is our fourth year with ‘Hooked on Hockey’ and we’re very happy to be able to bring the sport to so many children.”
