Sports stats

SPHL Mississippi RiverKings

RiverKings Visit Margolin Hebrew Academy

April 7, 2003 - SPHL (SPHL)
Mississippi RiverKings News Release


SOUTHAVEN, Miss.—RiverKings Defenseman Kevin Fricke visited Margolin Hebrew Academy Monday where he visited and read a book to a class of 15 fourth-graders.

The students' questions covered a wide range of topics, including fighting and penalties, how many people play on the team and how many are female hockey players, and how many false teeth Fricke has.

"I've been pretty lucky," Fricke said. "I still have all my original teeth. But some guys don't. The puck flies about 100 miles an hour, and when it hits you in the mouth, it can do some damage."

"How many stitches have you had?" one child asked.

"I've had over 100 stitches in my face," Fricke said. He went on to point out his scars and talk about the rotator cuff surgery he had several months ago, which took him out of the game for the rest of the hockey season.

"What's it like to play on the Memphis RiverKings?" another child asked.

"Sometimes it's fun, sometimes it's tough, sometimes it's scary, but I'm getting paid to do what I love, so it's pretty nice," Fricke said.

Fricke related a few stories from his past experience. He told the children about growing up in Minnesota, where his father would lay down a piece of plastic in the backyard every winter and flood it with the garden hose. The water would freeze and Fricke and his two brothers had their own ice rink.

"It was minus 40 degrees with the wind chill factor this winter," Fricke said. "It's so cold, your tears freeze on your face."

Fricke passed his championship ring around the room for the children to look at. He regaled them with stories about the team bus, which has satellite TV, a refrigerator, microwave and 20 or so sleeper bunks for the players.

"It was a smaller group, so I could interact with them a little bit better," Fricke said after the visit. "I could answer everyone's questions."

Teacher Charlana Vaughn was pleased as well.

"Kevin is really great with the kids," Vaughn said. "It was wonderful. They've been so excited for a week. They had a great time."

The RiverKings play the Indianapolis Ice in Game Two of the Northern Conference Finals on Tuesday, April 8, at the DeSoto Civic Center, located just 15 minutes south of downtown Memphis. Face-off is set for 7:05 p.m. For tickets call (662)-342-1755 or go online to www.RiverKings.com and use the Ticketmaster link.



SPHL Stories from April 7, 2003


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Mississippi RiverKings Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central