Nolan Nicholas (Thunder Bay, ON) of HNO Hockey

Nick Baptiste (Ottawa, ON) of ODHA Hockey

Adam Brady (Delhi, ON) of ALLIANCE Hockey

Joel Horodziejczyk (Sudbury, ON) of NOHA Hockey

Darnell Nurse (Hamilton, ON) of GTHL Hockey

Alex Yuill (Wellington, ON) of OMHA Hockey

The Messier Project is excited to announce that it will serve as the Official Helmet Sponsor of the upcoming OHF U-16 Top Prospects Event, August 12-15, in Kitchener, Ontario.

As part of the agreement, the ALLIANCE Hockey Under-16 team has joined The Messier Project and will wear the revolutionary M11 helmet during the event.  The Messier Project is supplying the team with custom M11 helmets for the 2010 U-16 Top Prospects Event and the 2010-11 Alliance season; the 2010 U-16 Top Prospects Event will serve as the Team Ontario selection tournament for 2011 Canada Games.

The Alliance join more than 250 teams, including the Harvard Crimson, and National Hockey League stars such as Chris Phillips, Garnet Exelby, Aaron Ward, Stephane Veilleux and Brent Burns, in choosing the M11 – the revolutionary hockey helmet featuring Cascade Sports’ Seven Technology – and  encouraging better head protection across all levels of the sport.

In celebration of The Messier Project’s new partnership with OHF U-16 Prospects Event and the ALLIANCE, and in recognition of the young players who exemplify strong leadership on and off the ice, the inaugural Messier Project Leadership Award will be presented to one player from each of the six teams competing in the U-16 Prospects Event during a special on-ice program following each game on the final day of the tournament.

“A primary mission of The Messier Project is to engage the game’s greatest influencers to help change priorities within the sport and make head protection a top priority,” said Mary-Kay Messier, Vice President of Business Development and the General Manager of Hockey for Cascade Sports.  “The opportunity to recognize outstanding leadership and have the Alliance team represent The Messier Project – and wear the M11 – will go a long way towards accomplishing our mission.”

The Messier Project will engage the hockey community – from players and parents to fans – by activating its sponsorship of the U-16 Prospects Event with numerous on-the-ground efforts in Kitchener, via its onsite booth and interactive consumer promotions.

“We are extremely proud to join The Messier Project and believe strongly in its mission to better protect the players of the great game of hockey,” said Tony Foresi, ALLIANCE Hockey President.  “Our players are excited to wear the new helmet and continue to lead by example both on and off the ice.”

“The support of ALLIANCE Hockey, one of the most respected minor hockey programs in Canada, means a lot to us here at The Messier Project,” said six-time Stanley Cup Champion Mark Messier.  “We are proud to start this new relationship with The ALLIANCE and wish the team much success at the U-16 Top Prospects Event.”

At the AHCA Coaches Convention in Naples, Florida last weekend, The Messier Project’s own Kelly Dyer was honored as the recipient of The Joe Burke Award, presented annually to the person who has given outstanding contribution, support and dedication to women’s ice hockey.  Congratulations to Kelly on the much-deserved award, exemplifying her passion and dedication to the great game of hockey.  The Messier Project is very proud to have Kelly on team!

Also honored at the Coaches Convention last weekend was John Gardner, head coach of Avon Old Farms Preparatory School in Connecticut, who received The John Mariucci Award, created to honor a secondary school association coach who best exemplifies the spirit, dedication, and enthusiasm of the “godfather of U.S. hockey,” John Mariucci.  John came on board with The Messier Project at the start and his Avon Old Farm team wore the M11 all season – and as they captured the North East Division I Prep School Championship.  Congratulations to John on this well-deserved award!

Congratulations to Brent Burns, Minnesota Wild defenseman and member of The Messier Project, as he represents Canada at the upcoming 2010 IIHF World Championship, which runs May 7-23 in Cologne and Mannheim, Germany.  Brent will be wearing his M11 helmet in the tournament — a first appearance for the helmet in international competition.  Best of luck to Brent and all the competitors.  It is sure to be an exciting tournament!

Congratulations to the St. Louis Bandits as they advance to the NAHL Robertson Cup National Championship in Wenatchee, Washington this week. It is the fourth straight appearance in the National Championship for the Bandits — and their first in the M11 as members of The Messier Project.

The Bandits defeated the Topeka Roadrunners in the South Division Finals to advance and now aim to defend their Robertson Cup national title.

Be sure to check out the cover of Hockey Stop, Missouri’s source for hockey news, which has a great shot of the Bandits in their M11 helmets.

Best of luck to the St. Louis Bandits!

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Part Two:

Sportsnet.ca columnist Jim Lang received a question from a reader this week about headshots in hockey. In his reply, published at http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2010/03/29/lang_mailbag_headshots/, Lang mentions The Messier Project and the new M11 helmet when discussing how equipment changes can help address the issue of concussion in hockey.

Lang writes: “Don Cherry is right when he says it is time to do away with the hard cap elbow pads and football type shoulder pads. You are not going to make smaller and slower athletes. But you can make equipment that will do less damage when the inevitable collisions take place. The league should also take a closer look at Mark Messier’s proposal for a new helmet design that he feels will help reduce concussions. Something has to be done for the good of the NHL. We all love the game too much to see all these great players missing so much time with concussions.”

Congratulations to the South Shore Kings, members of The Messier Project, on their Pee Wee Minor AAA Elite 2010 Division Championship. The South Shore Kings, coached by Tony Amonte and Marty McInnis, wore the M11 en route to their second consecutive division championship.