Dryden drops in on east-end school

The member of the Robert Hopkins Parent Council always had a tough time getting two of her young boys, aged 10 and seven, to attend dance practice on the weekends, she says. But as soon as hockey season began this year, her struggle became even tougher. “They complained the dancing was cutting into their hockey time,” she explains. The two Robert Hopkins Public School students enjoyed dancing well enough, continues Chudczak, but nothing compared to hockey. “And I thought, there’s got to be a way to show that art and sport are two sides of the same puck. “And I thought this might be a really cool way of doing it.”

Indeed, Chudczak’s desire to blend the finesse of performing arts with the raw intensity of ice hockey came to fruition early this week, when former Montreal Canadiens goaltender and Toronto Maple Leafs executive Ken Dryden kicked off “The Art & Joy of Hockey” program at the school on Glenfern Avenue.

The program – set to run the next three months – is meant to provide each of Hopkins’ 300-plus students a chance to learn about hockey through visual art, music, and dance. Students will draw and paint, under the guidance of artist Christopher Griffin, social and environmental themes on over 300 provided wooden hockey sticks, while musician Sarah Westbrook and dancer Peter Ryan will give performing arts instruction. “This is a great project,” said Dryden in a release. “It will give the kids of Robert Hopkins a chance to learn that hockey and the arts are linked. And that this link is fundamental to becoming a creative and healthy Canadian in the future.”

And who better to demonstrate that link, says Chudczak, than one of Canada’s most noteworthy scholar-athletes. “I was looking for someone who could come in to show both sides of schooling and education, and sport, while being successful. And Ken Dryden epitomizes that,” she says. “He moved forward and was successful because of his education, while still being a hockey icon in this country.”

Dryden studied first-year law at McGill University during his rookie season with the Montreal Voyageurs, a then-AHL team and farm club of the Canadiens NHL team.

Principal Julie Miller, who says Dryden’s visit helped put an already-winning program on the map, adds The Art & Joy of Hockey is meant to expose children to the sport for perhaps the first time. “To have the children involved in the arts, and tying it to the theme of hockey… is fantastic,” she says. “Certainly, some of our children are very comfortable on a hockey rink,” continues the principal. “But there are 24 different languages represented in our community, and some of our children have probably never even touched a hockey stick.”"Certainly, some of our children are very comfortable on a hockey rink," continues the principal. "But there are 24 different languages represented in our community, and some of our children have probably never even touched a hockey stick."