As one of the few professional hockey players from Switzerland, Lallo Selman has become a very popular and influential figure in the country. He's someone that many Swiss children look up to and because of that his old primary school in his hometown invited him to come back and speak to the kids currently attending the school. Lallo's visit to his old school went very well with most of the kids ecstatic to see their idol in person. Lallo spoke to them about his journey from a normal Swiss kid like them to the SHL star he is today and wanted to make them feel like they could do anything they wanted to if they tried hard enough. He also spoke to them about the importance of being nice to each other and about blocking out the noise on their way to where they wanted to be since his own path to the pros was full of insults and moments where he thought he might want to quit. After the speech he posed for pictures and autographs with some of the kids and also got to play some ball hockey in a mini school yard ball hockey tournament.
During the off-season, my old primary school teacher asks me to come talk to his class at the beginning of the year right before I left for this season training camp. Since they were mostly young kids, I started by showing them videos of me in the SHL and with the Norwegian national team. I did a quick speech where I told them that they should mostly try to follow their dreams and prioritize things that make them happy in life. I also let them know how important the people you choose to have in your life are. After this short speech, I had them ask me questions about what they wanted, it went from how it feels to get traded all the way to what my favorite meal is. Finally, I bring gifts for all of them that were provided by the Norwegian Hockey Federation and sign these items for them. I also took a couple of pictures with those who wanted too.
" Good afternoon everybody and thank you for the invitation and coming out to listening to what I have to say. First off let me introduce myself, I am Daniel LaForest born and raised right here in Montreal and also attended this high school not so long ago. Some may never off heard of me while there are others who might of followed my young professional hockey career and there are also some not many that may know me on a more personal basis. Like I said earlier, I graduated not long ago and therefore still have some ties to this school.
I was drafted by the Kelowna Knights (the who?) you might ask, haha, well they are the ones that gave me my first break at professional hockey and I owe them a lot. Just finished my second season playing center in this Junior league which helped me show case my talents and get noticed by another great franchise in the major hockey league, the Edmonton Blizzard.
They saw my talents and encouraged me to pursue what I was good at, no not good, but great at! I am here today to inspire any of you to follow your dreams and to work hard. When you least expect it, there is always someone looking, whether you are doing right or wrong somebody will see. I worked and played by this philosophy and it has yet to do me wrong as I always give my 100% for the good."
Returning to my old school fills me with memories and emotions of a simpler time. All the teachers, field trips, sleep overs, long lost friends, etc. Being invited to give a speech to the new group of students the area has to offer was an amazing honor. I even got to meet some of my former classmates children who are now in school. I told the kids about my time at the school and the fun times I've had with the time spent here as well as what I did between that time and now, and how all my hard work helped me accomplish my dreams. After the speech, I got to spend the day as a substitute gym teacher for every class. We got to play some of my favorite gym games like dodge ball, number soccer, and getting to use that huge rainbow parachute thing. It was a great day, and I hope to be invited back again.
Panda walks on stage a little nervously, he coughs a couple times and the mic gives a little bit of feedback and you hear some nervous laughter from him. in his worst Arnold accent he says “allow me to break the ice” and gets a few Chuckles out of the crowd. This is his first time speaking and public really since he was drafted by the Toronto North Stars end his entire Hometown is out to see him for this graduation speech. He knows he can't let the kids down so he starts talking about his time at the school, how supporting everybody in the community was and how together with his community he was able to reach heights he never expected. being at his high school changed his life, he never expected to go into hockey but ended up finding something he loved. He then talks about how you're not always going to find that nice cool, you may not find it another 20 years but remember that you always have a community of friends and family here to back you up He wraps up nicely too some applause from the crowd, he's not the best speaker but he was able to get his point across and that's what matters.
Nathan Thomas comes home to Swift Current to talk to the high school. Being only a year removed himself he still recognizes most the students still there. Many of the kids looking up to him like he is there Hero. Nathan now having a full season in the SMJHL under his belt was excited to come back to his former high school and tell them all about his experience. Of course the highlight being that he was drafted 55th overall in the SHL draft! How it was a busy off season with being drafted to Texas only to be traded to San Francisco. It has been a crazy off season for everyone! Knowing that he was coming back down to Maine he is looking forward to expanding his role not being a Rookie and to continue his journey to playing the SHL.
Overall the speech is taken very well by the students and faculty Nathan even donated a signed game worn jersey to the school to be auctioned off to help raise money for the school. Most students leave the speech with the thought that they might be able to be the next one taken in the draft.
I am not known for speaking up (just ask my teammates in the locker room). But when asked to talk to some of the youth in my hometown during the last off season trip home, I couldn't say no. I remember in my youth hockey days, getting a chance to speak to Olaf Bjornsonn inspired me to continue down this athletic path. I was particularly nervous, however. I'd never given a speech before, I wasn't sure what exactly I should do. I wasn't the strongest writer either, so I decided to just wing it; I knew the game and my skills well enough to give something short, but informative. I also thought about ending with a classic 'Q&A' session at the end. I figure I can give a good basis of the fundamentals, along with some tips on strength and conditioning. Even if I help one kid become a better player or help them realize their dream of playing in a professional league, it will be worth it.
Karl returned to his old high school in Berlin where hockey is not a sport of focus. In fact, very little people know of ice hockey and the popular sport is soccer. So, Karl being tasked with growing interest in addition to just giving a motivational speech, so he showed up with fireworks and a magician. The magician was an overwhelming hit, all the children whipped out their $1400 phones to record and catch the trick of his deception, but alas, his hands were too fast for the super slow mode cameras. Checkmate robots!
The fireworks on the other hand were a disaster. During some shiny attention grabbing deception, Mr. Phantasmo threw one of his sparklers stage right to draw attention away from his feet where the real card was hidden the whole time, and unfortunately directly into the armed fireworks!
Looking back on things bringing fireworks to an indoor gymnasium was probably a very poor choice, the fire marshal said he hadn't seen such an intense inferno in his 15 years on the job, but Karl isn't one to get dragged down by past mistakes. If he was, he would most likely be locked up in an asylum somewhere.
As I'm not very good at knowing what to say or preparing speeches. I had the New England Wolfpack's public relations manager co-write my speech. I came up with the general idea about talking about my childhood, my early hockey years and I specifically wanted to focus on the big leap of moving across the world to play professional hockey.
When it was time for my speech I had also prepared a slideshow with a few pictures and articles from my time in the US. From when I was first drafted, to my first game in the SHL with the New England Wolfpack. I surprised myself with how steady my voice was through most of the speech. I did not have too many hiccups and the kids even laughed at my jokes which was a huge relief.
I was told there were multiple hockey players in the audience that day, and even got an email from a parent mentioning that their kid just couldn't stop talking about me after school that day.
Barret McCarthy was always fond of his time in school, so being able to go back and speak at the place where it all began was a no brainer for him. He wanted to make sure the students understood the simple facts about success. It doesn't just show up on your doorstep one afternoon because you wished for it. You have to work for success. It takes blood, sweat, and tears to succeed in the real world. Yes, it's difficult, yes there are easier paths to take in life. But, you can push through that wall or break that glass ceiling and come out on top. It may seem like a lot of work, because it is, but in the end, it's worth it if you achieve your dreams! Don't give up just because life beat you down, allow yourself to get back on your feet and try again, and again, and again if you must!
For Kwame, we're heading not back to Sweden where he spent a lot of his youth but to Ghana where he was born to help try and spur on hockey as a sport down there. Kwame arrives and the school is decorated with Kraken and Specter logos all over the place. Kids are all playing road hockey in the lawn in front of the school.
Kwame only went to school here for 3 years before his family moved to Gothenburg, Sweden. He didn't pick up the sport of hockey until Sweden as well. The theme around the speech we're giving today is just that you can follow your dreams no matter what they are or where you come from. This is a very poor district in Ghana and to think a young kid from here is just footsteps away from a career in professional hockey in crazy. Kwame's parents are also there and his father gives a similar speech but instead focuses on the business side of things, Moses Dakari grew up here and found a career in grocery industry and ended up taking a strong position within the IKEA corporation.
With only about 50 kids at the school after Moses and Kwame give their speech, Kwame gives a jersey to each kid, autographs and takes a picture with them as well. After which a special Ghanaian feast was prepared for everyone to enjoy.
07-30-2020, 08:13 AM(This post was last modified: 07-30-2020, 08:14 AM by TheSparkyDee.)
What is the speech about?
·Zakkira Diporov arrives home to his hometown of Putin Land, Russia. A small farm town boy who did not play a lot of hockey in his youth. But he was cherished by the elders of the town, due to him being 6-foot-tall at the age of 12. Now 19 and 6-foot-3, he is still one the biggest people in the little town. So, his speech will be about well of course farming, and he will try to be fancy and tie farming to hockey.
How are you going to try and inspire (or at least entertain) these kids? How does it go?
·Zakkira is very inspirational, just last week he talked a woman down from jumping off the Ambassador Bridge that connects Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. Zakkira was walking and saw her standing there, and he gave her some quotes he heard from this magazine he read on the toilet. He told her its going to get better, keep playing the game, don’t give up. He read a sports illustrated.
Do you wind up mumbling on stage because you are a big buffoon who isn't can word good or are you an eloquent and captivating orator?
·Zakkira Diporov learned a lot of English from his Detroit teammates so he tried to teach English to the children, and the teacher who spoke English said he did a great job. But the kids did not understand him. So, he looked like a buffoon in the beginning until the teacher told him to speak just Russian.
Do you think the next [you] are out there in the audience listening?
·Yes. Zakkira had a small boy approached him. He was 8 and loved hockey, wanted to be just like Zakkira, play professional hockey and make an impact on his community like Zakkira. So, the boy said he will be playing along side him in the near future.
Drafted 2nd round 21st Pick by the Winnipeg Jets in S55 SHL Entry Draft
GM of the UCORCAL in the WJC S55
S55 WJC Gold Medalist GM/Player for UCORCAL
Management Role for Russia in the IIHF
Recent Management Role / Head Coach for Winnipeg Aurora in SHL
Rhys Pritchard has been asked to return to his alma mater Islwyn High School near his hometown of Markum, Wales to give an inspirational speech. Being a hockey player from a small town in a small country whose primary sports focus is rugby and football, Rhys feels that he can offer a different perspective to the students about perseverance. Pritchard just wrapped up an offseason where he won a Silver medal in IIHF and has recently made his SHL debut with the Toronto North Stars. He's not a confident public speaker, but he feels that he can relate to the circumstances of these students because it hasn't been long since he was one of them. "Markum is a small town in a small country that often gets overlooked as England's little brother. I plan to talk about the hard work, sacrifices and perseverance that got me to where I am and encourage them to work hard to achieve their goals. But I also plan to speak about Welsh pride and being proud of their identity."
Sig Cred: Carpy, ML, RainDelay, Donini & Geekusoid
Okay, so I've been in Anchorage for a season now and played in the WJC and got drafted to the SHL. Two weeks ago my comprehensive school, Kämmenniemi, back in Tampere reached out to my agent and wanted me to go out and chat with some kids. Of course, I can't say no to that opportunity to speak to some kids. When I arrived, I brought a bag full of signed pucks, t shirts, and a few sticks to give out to kids. Being that this was my first public speaking since I kind of "made it", I was really nervous, even though it was just to a bunch of kids. I feel like they're even harder to talk to sometimes, especially kids under 10.
My speech actually went well, I threw in some decent jokes about playing hockey, threw some pucks around to the kids, gave some t shirts out, took pictures. It turns out those kids are much more apt to listening when they actually get something in return. There was one kid in particular, Jaspa, who seemed really shy when we were talking, even more shy than most Finnish kids are. I made it a point to go over and talk to him and see what his deal is. It turns out he loves playing hockey, but his older brother makes fun of him for playing. So I made sure I gave him a stick, a puck, t shirt, and told him it doesn't matter what his brother thinks. Brothers will be brothers, and if you keep practicing every day, you'll prove him wrong some day. I called my Dad afterwards, who played for the Tampere LIIGA team, and got the Jaspa, and his family tickets to the game the next day where I would show them around and give them the VIP tour.
I know it's only one kid, but sometimes that one kid needs more attention than anybody else and it will make a huge difference in his life. Only time will tell, but I told Jaspa to write me letters and keep in contact. I hope to see him on the ice in 10 years in the SHL.
Sven hasn’t had a chance to spend a lot of time in Stockholm since he was first drafted to the Colorado Raptors. His mother, Helga, has basically become a US resident to follow the Raptors and watch her only child play hockey – so Sven doesn’t have a pressing reason to make it back to his native land.
When Sven received the invitation to speak at PA Fogelströms High School, he gladly took the opportunity to head home and hang out with some childhood friends. This resulted in Sven getting extremely drunk the night before he was meant to speak at the High School and being deathly hungover the next morning.
Sven stumbled into the school with glassy, bloodshot eyes and reeking of booze. He shifted his speech between English and Swedish, barely making any sense. No one really knew what he was getting at before he suddenly vomited all down the front of his Colorado Raptors Jersey (it was his game Jersey, the equipment manager is pissed). He was firmly escorted out of the school and is unlikely to be invited back.
BDonini![[Image: selm.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/selm.gif)
![[Image: sig.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/sig.gif)
![[Image: dragons.png]](https://simulationhockey.com/images/smilies/dragons.png)
![[Image: wolfpack2.png]](https://simulationhockey.com/images/smilies/wolfpack2.png)
![[Image: stars.png]](https://simulationhockey.com/images/smilies/stars.png)
![[Image: Dxdffra.png]](https://i.imgur.com/Dxdffra.png)
![[Image: hGKuRrv.png]](http://imgur.com/hGKuRrv.png)
![[Image: sAx3Llh.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/sAx3Llh.jpg)
![[Image: firebirds.png]](https://simulationhockey.com/images/smilies/firebirds.png)
![[Image: Snoopdogg.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/Snoopdogg.gif)
![[Image: d9J5DHT.png]](http://i.imgur.com/d9J5DHT.png)
![[Image: juniped_shl.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/juniped_shl.gif)
![[Image: uxBTBCX.png]](https://i.imgur.com/uxBTBCX.png)
![[Image: krash.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/krash.gif)
![[Image: kLRJavo.png]](https://i.imgur.com/kLRJavo.png)
![[Image: ZjgHcNL.png]](https://i.imgur.com/ZjgHcNL.png)
![[Image: s9JOf1N.png]](https://i.imgur.com/s9JOf1N.png)
![[Image: wW0VNnL.png]](https://i.imgur.com/wW0VNnL.png)
![[Image: sBUQCq8.png]](https://i.imgur.com/sBUQCq8.png)
![[Image: DIsmdUx.png]](https://i.imgur.com/DIsmdUx.png)
![[Image: 6JpC94j.png]](https://i.imgur.com/6JpC94j.png)
![[Image: image0.png]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/853419618793816076/875124956428644393/image0.png)
![[Image: IMG_0301.jpg]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/303714627987177495/1087782561314512996/IMG_0301.jpg)
![[Image: notoriousTRON.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/notoriousTRON.gif)
![[Image: gs89eGV.png]](http://i.imgur.com/gs89eGV.png)
![[Image: unknown.png]](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/324331891547176961/851889728176521246/unknown.png)
![[Image: wearingabear.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/wearingabear.gif)
![[Image: connors.png]](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/694020619620188191/978699207168917504/connors.png)
![[Image: CaleSalad.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/CaleSalad.gif)
![[Image: kalesaladshl.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/kalesaladshl.gif)
![[Image: BirdmanSHL.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/BirdmanSHL.gif)
![[Image: unknown.png]](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/668218443115397133/962504023796224030/unknown.png)
