PVHC gains sportsmanship award

Sportsmanship has become a lost value.

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ Tie Domi has provided the most graphic example of that lost value as evidenced by his vicious elbow on New Jersey’s Scott Niedermayer which caused a concussion. Domi was suspended for the rest of the NHL playoffs.

There was also the fight between two fathers after a youth hockey practice in Massachusetts that resulted in the death of one of the fathers and the other being indicted.

The Maine Amateur Hockey Association took steps to promote sportsmanship this year and three travel youth teams will meet Gov. Angus King at the Blaine House in Augusta today to receive the association’s first annual sportsmanship awards.

One of those teams will be the Penobscot Valley Hockey Club squirts (ages 10 and under), who received a league-low 45 penalty minutes in their 20 Travel A League games. The Lewiston bantams (14-15) and Kennebec peewees (11-13) are the other recipients.

“The state knows sportsmanship is a big issue,” said Milford’s Stephen Michaud, who coaches the PVHC travel squirts. “Youth sports serve a [good] purpose. But they have been getting a lot of bad press lately and deservedly so. We’re trying to get the kids to realize there’s a reward for being good sports.

“We began stressing it before we stepped on the ice,” added Michaud. “We had a meeting with the parents and told them that it was important that we teach them how to be good losers as well as good winners.”

Michaud said he hopes the sportsmanship their players have been taught will carry through their entire careers.

Michaud and the youngsters are looking forward to their meeting with the governor and the award presentation.

“I played sports my whole life and I never got to see the governor,” said Michaud. “And we’re getting our names engraved on a big silver cup, like a miniature Stanley Cup. It’s pretty neat.”

The players’ names on the cup will include Milford’s Nicholas and Nathan Michaud, Connor Schofield and Nathan Curtis; Old Town’s Andrew and Michael O’Leary; Bangor’s Andrew Riley and Nicholas Mitchell; Brewer’s Mike Kotredes; Glenburn’s Ryan Hayes; Greenfield’s David Eugley, Winterport’s Nicholas Beal, Orono’s Patrick McLeer, and Hampden’s Corey Morin.

Helping Michaud coach the team were John Schofield, Sean O’Leary and David Curtis and the team manager was Renee Curtis.

The Bears compiled an overall record of 30-10-6. They were 10-6-4 in league play.