WBM and Vincent Massey’s All-Star Charity Hockey Game

March 22^nd was a very special day for WBM as we connected with kids from some of Saskatoon’s community schools at the first-ever WBM All-Star Hockey Game!

WBM Technologies has sponsored the Kinsmen Hockey League (KHL) for over a decade. The KHL provides children in Saskatoon’s core community schools with the opportunity to learn and play hockey. Our partnership began in 2009 when the New York Islanders held their NHL training camp in Saskatoon. We connected the Islanders players with the students from Vincent Massey Community school and held a charity concert and autograph signing, as well as supplied enough equipment for two new hockey teams to join the league.

Sadly, COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the KHL this winter, and hundreds of hours of ice time were lost for the 2021-2022 season. However, as restrictions lifted and opportunities to gather became a reality, WBMers found a way to get students on the ice for a day of fun and mentorship, and the WBM All-Star Game was born!

The WBM All-Star Game brought kids from the Vincent Massey and King George Community School hockey teams to Harold Latrace arena in Saskatoon for a day of unforgettable fun and excitement. Over 70 students, mentors, and WBM staff were on-hand to help out and enjoy the event. Kids participated in a skills competition that included the hardest shot, the most accurate shooter, and the fastest skater. From there, we moved on to an actual game between WBMers and the kids (which ended in a thrilling shootout!)

“The kids had a day of hockey skills, snacks, and smiles… there is no better way for a hockey player to spend the day!!”

Lee Branstetter, Director of Facilities & Logistics, WBM Technologies

We are so grateful for this experience and proud of the WBM team that is supporting children in our community. Thanks to their efforts, and some incredible support from the Indigenous Sports Academy, we were able to get players back on the ice after two difficult years.

The Indigenous Sports Academy is a Saskatoon-based program providing opportunities for Indigenous students and athletes to take part in advanced training and competition in a variety of sports. The hockey program saw students and players from First Nations all over Canada come to Saskatoon for a year of training and volunteering to play a season as the Under-18 AA Eagles hockey team! As part of the program, the ISA looks for opportunities to mentor the next generation of kids, and they were more than happy to lend a hand at the All-Star game.

“It was a great opportunity to get the KHL kids on the ice,” said WBM’s Community Engagment Manager, Cory Bailey. “The Indigenous Sports Academy was there for inspiration and mentorship, and they were incredible at engaging with the kids. It was awesome to see the young players seek out their autographs after the game -it was such a great day.”

A special thank you to the kids, the ISA, our staff, and WBM’s Steve Hiscock for the spectacular photos from this event. We hope that everyone had as much fun as we did, and we can’t wait to do it again.

“The best part was seeing all of those smiling faces. Good on WBM for putting this together.”

Greg Slodzian, Coach of the AA Eagles

You can read more about WBM’s community-school partnerships, here: https://www.wbm.ca/community/inspiring-our-youth/

Cory Bailey

Cory began with WBM in 2010 full time working in outside sales. Since then, his career has taken him into Enterprise print management, where he’s very proud to currently manage and oversee the print fleets for 5 large enterprises across Canada. He also manages WBM’s Community Relations initiatives, and is a proud member of the Board of Directors for Care and Share Saskatoon – which is a children’s charity working with the inner city, or ‘community’ schools in the city.

Cory (and his dog Frankie!) is an avid fisherman and outdoorsman, and a huge Formula 1 racing fan, but concedes that his very favorite thing to do is spend time with his nieces, nephew, and son Josh.