While in town for the Source for Sports Hockey Show, Mark Messier visited Hamilton to donate M11 helmets to the Hamilton Bulldogs' Skate The Dream program.
The pilot program is run out of Eastwood Arena and will see more than 100 inner city kids take part in 3-on-3 hockey.
The Hamilton Spectator and AM900 Hamilton both have great stories on Mark's visit to Hamilton and the Skate the Dream program. Links to both aritcles follow.
Hamilton Spectator, "Messier continues to truly define the meaning of a leader"
FOX Sports West’s Jon Rosen continues to be a big proponent of The Messier Project. In a recent article about NHL Comissioner Gary Bettman and the League’s player safety efforts, Rosen cites The Messier Project and M11 helmet as a step in the right direction. To read Jon’s latest article, visit:
FOX Sports West, “Bettman defends player safety efforts”
Jon’s FOX Sports colleague, Craig Morgan, also wrote about The Messier Project in recent weeks. In an article entitled, “What can NHL do about concussion problem,” Morgan mentions the M11 as a “promising model” of a “better-constructed helmet.” To read the full article, visit:
FOX Sports Arizona, “What can NHL do about concussion problem?”
Some recent coverage for The Messier Project has been tied to the sad – yet inspiring – story of a young hockey player named Jack Jablonski.
Jack was seriously injured during a junior varsity hockey game in the Minneapolis area on Dec. 30. He is an inspiration, not only in his fight to walk again, but also in his mission to make hockey safer.
Jack's story has led to a renewed discussion on the need for better equipment, highlighting The Messier Project and the M11. Links to articles in the Toronto Star, Rochester Minnesota’s Post Bulletin and the Eau Claire Leader Telegram follow:
Toronto Star, “As teen tries to walk again, mission to make hockey safer moves on”
The new M11 PRO helmet made its on-ice debut during today's Winter Classic Alumni Game on the lid of The Captain, Mark Messier and 11 of his alumni game teammates, including Adam Graves, Mike Gartner Darren Turcotte, and Dave Maloney, and three of his Flyers alumni opponents, including Jeremy Roenick, in choosing the M11 PRO, a new evolution of The Messier Project's game-changing M11 hockey helmet. Built around Cascade Sports' revolutionary Seven Technology, the M11 PRO's new, streamlined design, aggressive styling, and enhanced features offers the same advanced protection and now pro-level performance.
The Messier Project’s M11 helmet has revolutionized head protection since its release in 2009. Today, more than 650 hockey teams and associations across North America wear – and trust – the M11. These players and teams are part of The Messier Project community, sharing a passion for the sport of hockey and a commitment to making head protection a top priority. The M11 PRO is a direct response to feedback from The Messier Project community over the past two years and offers the same, advanced protection as the M11 in a new, sleek, streamlined design for elite performance.
“I was excited and proud to wear the new M11 PRO at the Alumni Game,” said six-time Stanley Cup Champion Mark Messier before the game. "I’ve long said that when it comes to protection in the sport of hockey, the helmet is an athlete’s most vital piece of equipment. The Messier Project’s rapid growth over the past two years is a testament to the fact that priorities in our sport are finally starting to change. Though we still have a long way to go, I believe the new M11 PRO is another step in the right direction.”
Like the M11, the M11 PRO features Cascade Sports’ Seven Technology,a revolutionary impact attenuation liner system designed to more effectively manage energy transfer from direct impact. On impact, Seven Technology compresses to laterally displace energy and within seconds, it completely resets to ready for the next impact. Hockey is a multiple impact sport. Seven Technology is proven to have total material reset and performs better than EPP on successive impacts*.
In addition to its advanced protection, the new M11 PRO is built for maximum performance and extreme comfort. The M11 PRO’s new, streamlined shell features a lower profile, sleek side lines, aggressive styling, and improved liner ventilation. The new helmet also features an enhanced Pro Fit system, now called the Pro Fit 2. First introduced in Cascade Sports’ top-selling line of lacrosse helmets and updated for the M11, the Pro Fit is a 15-point, no tool micro-adjustment system for a truly customized fit. The new, high precision Pro Fit 2 system in the M11 PRO features an ultra-compact, tapered design for an enhanced 360° fit to eliminate pressure points for increased comfort.
Beginning in February 2012, the M11 PRO will be available in a full size range (s-m-l) at limited retail locations in the U.S. and Canada.
Check back here at www.themessierproject.com for more information on the new M11 PRO in the coming weeks.
*Cascade Sports’ testing shows that the Seven Technology (liner system within the M11) typically performs 26% better than traditional EPP foam (the liner material within a standard hockey helmet) after the first impact, 107% better than EPP after the second impact and 140% better than EPP after the third impact.
Congratulations to the Balgonie Prairie Storm and Humboldt Broncos, champions of the second annual Messier Project Prince Albert Source for Sports M11 Bantam AA Showcase.
The Balgonie Prairie Storm, pictured above, defeated the Saskatoon Maniacs 4-2 in the championship match on Sunday, Dec. 11. In the B final, the Broncos defeated Yorktown 5-4.
At the close of the tournament, the following six young players were awarded The Messier Project Leadership Award for leadership demonstrated both on and off the ice:
Matthew Campese, Prince Albert Raiders
Tate Olsen, Saskatoon Stallions
Blade Roh, Prairie Storm
Jayden Halbgewachs, Prairie Storm
Brennan Riddle, Prairie Storm
Regan Nagy, Weyburn Red Wings
Congratulations to all the players, coaches and teams from across Saskatchewan that competed at this year's Bantam AA Showcase. The Messier Project is proud to support the tournament for the second straight year.
The Messier Project was recently featured in Chill Magazine's two-part "Concussion Discussion" series, out now in its Holiday 2011 issue. Writer Blake Dillon interviewed Mark Messier on the concussion epidemic in sports, The Messier Project, equipment standards, how the game has evolved over the years, and more. To read the full article, visit Chill Magazine's website at: http://www.chillmedia.co/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=214:concussion-discussion&catid=11:sports&Itemid=213. (image from chillmedia.co)
Thank you to the more than 100 individuals who have entered the first-ever Tell Mark Your Story contest here at The Messier Project.com. We have received many moving and inspiring entries and we are honored that you have shared your stories with us. The contest has now come to a close and the winning entry will be announced later this month. Check back here for more contest news in the coming weeks...
The Messier Project continues its commitment to grassroots hockey through the support of a number of grassroots tournaments across North America. Some recent and upcoming highlights follow:
The weekend of Nov. 10-13, The Messier Project served as the lead sponsor of the Manon Rheaume Girls Tournament in Farmington Hills, MI, for the second straight year and presented The Messier Project Leadership Award to the event's eight finalists.
In Canada, The Messier Project recently sponsored the Sports NRG Bantam Ice Fest AAA Tournament and presented The Messier Project Leadership Award to four deserving young players – James Allen of the Minor Bantam Mighty Fallen Peterborough Petes, William Bitten of the Minor Bantam Ottawa Jr. 67’s, Nic Hamre of the Major Bantam Eastern Ontario Wild, and Shane Woolsey of the Major Bantam Upper Canada Cyclones.
We also supported the 31st Annual Moncton Midget AAA Monctonian tournament, Nov. 17-20, one of the largest Midget AAA tournaments in all of Canada. Nearly every Midget AAA team from Atlantic Canada competed. In addition to a number of in-arena initiatives, The Messier Project Leadership Award was presented at the close of the tournament to recognize the young players who demonstrate leadership both on and off the ice.
Next, The Messier Project will serve as title sponsor of The Messier Project / Prince Albert Source for Sports M11 Bantam AA Showcase for the second straight year. The 2011 tournament will be held Dec. 9-11 and will feature M11 raffles, a strong brand presence onsite, and The Messier Project Leadership Award.
In a three-part series, Minnesota's Lakeville Patch newspaper discusses what the state's new sports concussion law means for Lakeville's hockey players. The new law, co-authored by Minnesota State Senator Terri Bonoff (DFL-Minnetonka), is designed to generate awareness for the "dangers that concussions present to young athletes" and "changes the diagnosis and recovery steps for concussions in young athletes," focusing on "why proper recovery steps are important to an athlete's long-term health."
Minnesota and its great hockey community continue to be leaders in player safety and protection. The Messier Project is proud to have teamed up with so many hockey programs across the state, including both Lakeville North and Lakeville South High Schools, who are members of The Messier Project. Both teams wear the M11 and are featured in the series.
