With a population of about 1200, Parrsboro is a small riverfront community located in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, Canada. Parrsboro is commonly known as an excellent place to witness the incredible power of the Fundy tides. In 2015, the community of Parrsboro lost its minor hockey league program with the nearest program being nearly 45 minutes away in Amherst, N.S.

It has taken the residents almost a decade to bring back a minor hockey league program in the community. All the credit goes to the local Jill Meyers and her husband, who made all the efforts to bring the sport back for the kids of the community and the hockey program for minors eventually restarted in late 2023.

The current minor league hockey program has been thoughtfully designed to minimize barriers to entry, resulting in the enrollment of approximately thirty-two children. Children within the age range of six to twelve are actively participating in this minor hockey league program, with some embarking on their hockey journey without prior experience. Jill and her husband fervently appealed to the community for gear donations, including sticks, skates, helmets and protective equipment to facilitate the children’s participation in hockey. Graciously, private donors such as Sport NS have stepped forward to ensure the provision of the necessary gear and equipment.

Meyers perceives this program as an invaluable opportunity for the community’s children to realize their dreams of engaging in the sport of ice hockey. For many of these youngsters, this program marks their inaugural exposure to an official ice rink, while others had previously practiced in driveways or on outdoor rinks.

“It’s great to have as many sports and opportunities to be active as possible in a small community.” “We are a small community, but we want to give our children all the opportunities they would have in any other community or town,” says Meyers.

The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic had left the residents of this riverfront community yearning for an initiative of this nature. The palpable enthusiasm surrounding the program has pervaded the entire region, forging stronger community bonds. While there are aspirations to expand the program’s scope to encompass skill development across various age groups, organizers are currently elated by the triumphant return of hockey to the community.

Source: Global News