Winchester Ontario native and Ottawa Senator defenceman Matt Carkner got a big surprise today when he showed up for practice. 

Nearly 3500 students from Casselman to Stitssville filled the seats of the practice facility as a part of an initiative to pass on hockey knowledge to today’s youths.  Recent studies suggest that less of our youth are enrolling in hockey programs compared to the enthusiastic 80′s and 90′s. The massive field trip served not only as a lesson for the children but a little bit of fun for everyone else, players included.

The kids brought a very welcomed energy to what would have been otherwise a case of the Mondays for the current North East division leaders. There were naturally the usual chants of : Go Sens Go and even the captain received a chorus of Al-Fie.. Al-fie.

No one had a cheering section of their own though except for local boy, Matt Carkner.  Behind the net of Pascal Leclaire was a group of students from Westport, where Matt now calls home. They held a banner for him that read: “Rideau Vista loves Matt Carkner.” 

It would seem the veteran AHL’er is finally getting his due after years of toiling in the minors. Through his good positional play and aggressive demeanor Matt is really carving out a good reputation in the league.  

Here is a look at his numbers thus far:

It’s that time of year again where you can smell the hockey brewing in the air.

Every die hard knows that come September you can expect two things:

The NHL pre-season begins, and EA Games releases its annual realistic video game rendition of the best hockey league in the world.

This years edition promises over 200 refinements to its predecessor. Some notable features are:

-A new first-person fighting engine enables players to trade punches with an NHL tough guy. Feel what it’s like to be on the ice in the skates of an NHL player to throw and dodge punches. Grab and tug an opponent’s jersey to land a punch that ignites the fans and sparks your team to victory.

-On ice toughness and intimidation is taken to a new level in NHL 10 where winning one-on-one battles for possession of the puck along the boards becomes a test of will and skill. Utilizing an all-new board physics engine, players can use their body to shield the puck on the boards and then kick-pass it to teammates. Bigger, stronger players pin opponents to the boards while fanatical fans bang on the glass, just like real life. Fore-check defenders, pressure the puck and finish checks to intimidate your opponent into mistakes. Players fatigue, bobble passes, and avoid collisions under threat of constant physical pressure. Inspire teammates, ignite the fans and change the momentum of a game by instigating scrums, drawing penalties, and mixing it up — all after the referee blows the whistle!

It really is incredible how this franchise continues to impress. Each year the gameplay becomes more realistic and there is almost nothing left to improve upon.

This beauty ships September 15 for Xbox 360 and the Sony PS3

Here is your chance to see what the boys will be donning in February: