GEE-GEES WOMEN'S HOCKEY PROGRAM

Our Vision
The goal of the University of Ottawa Women’s Hockey Program is to develop and deliver an elite program that will be the first choice for Canadian student athletes. Our aim is to compete in an elite RSEQ (Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec) league which is the training ground and feeder system for AAA teams and the Canadian national teams. We aspire to develop our players’ skills, both on and off the ice, with the goal of having them excel in all that they do athletically and academically.

Our Coaching Philosophy
As coaches, our aim is to build and foster an athlete centred family environment, where staff and players work together to achieve team goals. Our approach to coaching rests upon a three pillar philosophy: to go for it, to play with dignity, and to give back. We strive to instil in our players the mentality to “go for it” and encourage them to work hard and strive for excellence. We encourage our players to rise to the challenge and in turn, discover how good they can be.

As former players ourselves we know the importance of “playing with dignity” and wish to instil this in our players as well. Our objective is to teach our players to consistently contribute to fostering respect and a positive attitude on and off the ice. For our players, this means having respect for themselves, their teammates, the coaches, and the direction of the program to allow the team to achieve our vision and objectives. Furthermore, our hope is that our players support one another through a sense of “family”. We believe our success comes from an honest and unified approach to who we are, what we do, and how we play.

An integral part of our program is our desire to give back. We work in collaboration with youth and a broad range of community partners to foster the skills of young girls wishing to pursue hockey as their sport of choice. We also work closely with coaches and young girls in the Ottawa area to develop basic and advanced skills. Our players serve as role models in the community through their commitment to mentor aspiring hockey players.

As coaches we do more than coach hockey. We foster and develop close relationships with our players to help them strive for excellence.

Community
Community involvement is an integral part of our hockey program. Our coaches and players are passionate about being actively involved within the Ottawa community. We devote generous amounts of time towards community involvement in an effort to continually foster positive relationships with local coaches and players.

Community Development Sessions
Once a month our team partners with a variety of Ottawa area girls hockey associations to deliver skill development sessions. These sessions provide our players with an opportunity to give back to the community and act as role models as they put their Hockey Canada coaching certification into practice.

Our program offers four 50 minute sessions for approximately 30 children per session. Each session consists of skill stations, taught by 2 players, which the participants rotate through. Each month there is a different focus of the development session. These sessions range in focus from skating to shooting, scoring topuck control, goal tending, and passing.

This is a learning experience that is enjoyed by both the Gee-Gees team and the minor hockey players.

Future Stars Program
The Future Stars program encourages local teams to attend one of our home games. We offer the opportunity for players to participate in a 20 minute mini-game that takes place just before the Gee-Gees on-ice warm-up.

One team (or possibly two) will be required to arrive at the rink approximately 1.5 hours prior to the Gee-Gees game. The mini-game will commence approximately 1 hour before the Gee-Gees game time. The Future Stars Program is an interactive hockey experience that is fun and exciting!

Experience a Dream
The Experience a Dream Program allows our team to work with local girls minor hockey associations, with the objective of allowing young players to not only attend our home games and cheer us on, but participate in some of our team’s activities and experience what it is like to be a member of the Gee-Gees family.

The Experience a Dream Program is geared towards Atom, Peewee and Bantam aged players. The program allows the team to select 2 girls to participate with the Gee-Gees team in their game-day activities. The girls will be required to arrive at the rink 2 hours and 15 minutes prior to game time. They will take part in the pre-game technical and tactical session as well as the off-ice and on-ice warm-up (approx 15-20 min). Between periods, the girls may return to the dressing room for game talks. After the game, the participants will be able to receive autographs from the Gee-Gees.

How can you get involved?
If you are interested in participating in one of our Community Development Programs please e-mail whockey@uottawa.cawith the program you would like to participate, the possible home games that you would like to attend, your name, contact information, and which hockey association you belong to. We will do our best to accommodate you and get back to you in a timely fashion.