Kirk Lamb has a busy schedule this month watching several junior A hockey games in his new position as full-time chairman of the Canadian Junior Hockey League.
But Lamb would alter his travel plans in a heartbeat to pull up a chair with the family of a young hockey player to share the potential of the sport. He would repeat three words: development, exposure and opportunity.
“We need to continue to spread the message about the benefits of junior A hockey for players and their families. Our leagues and teams have done great job within their regions, but we want to carry that message nationally,” said Lamb, who was appointed on Sept 6.
He has numbers to back up his words. One hundred and forty CJHL players are in the NHL, another 800-plus are in the NCAA, and Canadian university and college teams have 600 alumni.