Regardless of the NHL lockout, hockey still goes on in communities across Canada thanks to many volunteers who dedicate much of their time and effort to keeping hockey alive. These local volunteers demonstrate a continued passion for the sport, such as moms who help to raise funds for their child's team or dedicated coaches who help kids learn to skate. This year, Kraft has launched a new program called Hockey Goes On which will allow communities from coast to coast to share their passion for the game by recognizing local people in their hockey community and in turn, Kraft will help these individuals give back to grass roots hockey-related initiatives. In my community, Glenn Freer is one of those guys. He is a father of two and hockey coach to many. Here is what he had to say about why he became involved in the local hockey program:

Hockey coach Glenn and son Josh

I started coaching Josh because I love the game of hockey and I wanted to be right beside him as he discovered the game for himself. I didn't want to just sit in the stands and watch, I wanted to participate with him. I have been coaching him in some capacity for the past five years, since he started skating at age four. The early years were pretty tough as we were at the rink on Saturday mornings as early as six o'clock. There were many cold and dark winter mornings where I really, really would have liked to stay in bed. Looking back I wouldn't trade those memories for anything. We have shared some great times along the way and I have been able to watch many kids go from not even being able to stand up on the ice to a point now where I cant keep up with most of them. It's amazing to watch a kid who couldn't skate the first time you saw him who can now skate circles around me. You can also see the kids' confidence grow as they play the game - on and off the ice - as playing organized sports has so many beneficial aspects to it. One of the most important, I feel anyway, is the way it teaches them to deal with winning and losing. Huge life lessons are learned at the rink - the best part is they don't even know it! They think they are just playing a game, it's so much more than that.

To put it simply, I coach because I love it.  I get a huge kick out of seeing their smiling faces and from knowing that most of these kids will play this game for the rest of their lives. It's kind of special knowing I got to be there at the beginning of it all. Over the past four years I have coached approximately 60-70 kids. Hopefully, I have helped them become better hockey players and have taught them some life lessons they can take with them as they grow up.

Without people like Glenn who help to instill a passion for hockey among our children, we would likely not have hockey in Canadian communities. This is why I am excited to share with you that the Kraft Hockey Goes On program is celebrating and recognizing local hockey volunteers and providing them with a way to give back within their community. Through Hockey Goes On, Kraft will be awarding up to $1,000,000 to hockey-related initiatives coast to coast. The top five communities will each receive $100,000 and 20 communities will each receive $20,000.  They are also working with their partners at Hockey Canada to give out $100,000 in grants to communities across Canada in need of equipment. Have a look at this touching video, a salute to community hockey volunteers:

So what can you do? 

Communities have nominated a local hockey volunteer and a panel has determined the top 100 individuals. Canadians can vote by going to www.KraftHockeyGoesOn.ca starting March 23, 2013. The top five winning communities will be announced March 30, 2013. 

In the meantime, let's remind these volunteers how much we appreciate their efforts by telling them, "Thanks! Hockey goes on because of you."

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Kraft Hockey Goes On. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own.