Music: {allcanada} BIEKSA, HAMHUIS SURPRISE KIDS AT PRACTICE

Friday, September 28, 2012

{allcanada} BIEKSA, HAMHUIS SURPRISE KIDS AT PRACTICE

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Kevin Bieksa couldn't help himself. The Vancouver Sun describes how we saw one of the North Vancouver Storm players racing toward him and decided there was no way the kid was going to beat him. "I knew he was going to attack me one-on-one and I'm thinking, 'I am not letting this guy beat me,' " Bieksa said. "He tried to put it through my legs and go around me and I'm like, 'sorry, not today Bud.'''

So Bieksa did what comes naturally. He straight-armed the kid, who fell to the ice. Both had big smiles on their faces.

There was a lot of smiling late Thursday afternoon when Bieksa and fellow Canuck defenceman Dan Hamhuis surprised the Storm and took part in the Midget Triple-A team's fast-paced hour-long practice at Harry Jerome Arena.

Coach Dan Cioffi had been given the heads-up that Bieksa and Hamhuis were going to drop by, but he didn't tell his 15- and 16-year-old players. More than a few jaws dropped when the two Canucks hopped over the boards just minutes after the Storm hit the ice.

"Yeah, I think they were surprised," Bieksa said. "When we got on the ice they were pretty shocked and there were a lot of wide eyes."

The NHL Players' Association has encouraged its members to get out and participate in some minor hockey league practices during the current lockout. Hamhuis and Bieksa were happy to oblige and fellow Canuck Mason Raymond surprised a Vancouver-area team earlier this week.

After the practice, Bieksa and Hamhuis spent considerable time with the Storm players in their dressing room answering questions. That was after they waded their way through two young girls' teams that were about to take the ice.

"They had some questions for us," Hamhuis said. "They are at that age where they have to make some decisions about junior hockey and college so it was a good mix. Kevin was a college guy and I went the junior route, so they had questions specific to that."

"They were all ears and listening and taking it all in," added Bieksa. "It was good, it felt like it was constructive."