Music: {allcanada} BIEKSA, RAYMOND TO COACH KIDS

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

{allcanada} BIEKSA, RAYMOND TO COACH KIDS

Count Kevin Bieksa as one of the hopeful ones, according to The Vancouver Province. Count the kids he's going to surprise on Thursday among the lucky ones.

With the start of the regular season all but lost, Bieksa remains confident, despite a bargaining standoff buried in bleakness.

Hoping his NHLPA reps will "give a little," he believes a deal between the entrenched NHL owners and its players can be reached in the next month.

For now, Bieksa is going to enjoy parenting his kids and he just may be coaching yours.

"We're going to be dropping in randomly on kids' practices," Bieksa said. "I don't want to ruin too much of the surprise, but Mason (Raymond) is involved in one.

"I don't want to tell you what day I'm doing one. Well, whatever, it's Thursday. Narrow it down a little, right.

"We'll see how the first one goes, but it's something we'll probably end up doing once a week just to kind of get out there and help some of the kids. Normally, we wouldn't have the time to do it."

The drop-ins are part of an NHLPA initiative.