CHL Mississippi RiverKings

RiverKings players visit local schools

Published on January 27, 2005 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Mississippi RiverKings News Release


MIDTOWN, EAST MEMPHIS—Memphis RiverKings players made two appearances at local schools this week, stopping by Snowden School and joining a class at Evangelical Christian School, as part of the Newspapers In Education program in cooperation with The Commercial Appeal newspaper.

The activities followed the same format at both schools: first the class played an interactive hockey board game, in which the players served as team captains and the goals were scored by answering questions pulled from newspaper articles. After the game, the players spoke about themselves and allowed the class to ask questions before signing autographs.

On Wednesday, forward Jeremy Wray and goalie David Lemanowicz visited Snowden School. Questions for the game required Althea Greene's fifth-grade class to look through every section of the paper.

Articles containing the answers ranged from reports on the first women's games in Asian and Islamic countries; the number of inches of snow that fell in Boston between Saturday and Sunday, which employed a diagram; a concert performed by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra; the Philadelphia Eagles' chances of winning; the RiverKings' last game, including scores and which goalie was in net, and more.

Afterward, the two players talked about themselves. Lemanowicz and Wray grew up in very different settings. Lemanowicz was born in Vancouver in a very urban area, while Wray grew up in Cartwright, Manitoba, where there were only about 500 people in the entire town and only about 10 people in his graduating class. He started skating at 11 months old, right after he started walking, and left home after high school to begin his professional career.

"We didn't even lock our doors then," he said. "I grew up on a farm where the closest neighbors were a mile away. I worked on the farm and hunted a lot."

Lemanowicz's family is from Poland and he speaks fluent Polish. He was eight before he started skating and 10 before he started playing hockey.

"I didn't have to use the phone to find out where my friends were playing," he said. "Everything was packed so tightly I just walked out the door and listened to hear in what direction they lay."

Wray said afterward he enjoyed the visit.

"It was fun," he said. I wish I had the opportunity to have celebrities visit me when I was young. I have learned so much about life from sports and playing on teams—it's the best informal education a kid can have."

On Thursday, forward Brad Mueller and center Phil Aucoin visited Marilyn Lunsford's fourth grade class at Evangelical Christian School.

After the game, the two players talked a little about themselves. Aucoin is from Chelmsford, Mass. (near Boston) and attended Norwich University. Mueller is from Yellowknife, Northwest Territory, which is in the far north of Canada. Mueller received an engineering degree from Michigan Tech University before beginning his hockey career.

"Right now it's about minus 40 degrees where I live," Mueller said. "If you think it's cold out today, let me tell you, that's like summer weather up there."

Mueller's work during the off-season for an engineering firm has included helping lay a pipeline to bring fresh, unfrozen water to an Inuit village.

"I work above the Arctic Circle," he told the class. "I fly in to these communities where there's no roads in or out to do survey work. I stay about a week and then fly out again."

Questions included queries such as, have you ever broken any bones? Have you lost any teeth in a game? Do you ever get in fistfights? Who is your biggest rival? Did you/do you play any sports other than hockey?

Mueller said he plays golf, baseball, and growing up, soccer; Aucoin played baseball, lacrosse and football. Mueller said he's broken his nose numerous times, among other bones, and all his front teeth are partials.

Aucoin told the class that the ‘Kings' greatest rivals are the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs and yes, the guys do get in fistfights on a regular basis, especially Mueller—but violence is limited to on-the-ice interaction.

"The most important thing is to finish school," Aucoin said. "One day hockey will end for us, and we will have another career we can go into. But if you don't finish school you won't have anything. School is really important, and having a degree is really valuable."

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Central Hockey League Stories from January 27, 2005


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