The Lightning High School Hockey League (LHSHL) named Newsome High School senior Andrew Golden of the Newsome Ice Wolves the ‘Brad Richards Good Sport of the Month’ winner for September.
The Lightning High School Hockey League, operated by the Tampa Bay Lightning’s community hockey development department, announced the launch of a new, multi-year campaign to encourage sportsmanship among players, coaches, parents and officials. The campaign, titled Check Yourself, officially went underway at the start of the high school hockey season in mid-August.
Check Yourself was created to help further the implementation of hockey’s Declaration of Principles, launched by the National Hockey League (NHL) and 16 other hockey organizations from around the world in September of 2017. The Declaration of Principles is a set of commonly shared beliefs intending to inspire all of hockey’s stakeholders to leverage the game as a platform to help participants build character, foster positive values and develop important life skills.
The Check Yourself tagline is a play on a hockey term and slang saying meaning ‘think before you act.’
Golden was nominated via Twitter following the Newsome vs. West Manatee game on September 8 where he unintentionally hit a West Manatee player from behind.
Prior to making his way to the penalty box, he proceeded to check on the West Manatee player to make sure he was OK, as well as to apologize. He then apologized to the officials for making the hit. For his great display of sportsmanship, Golden will be invited and recognized at a Tampa Bay Lightning game to recognize his accomplishment. He will also be entered to win the Brad Richards Good Sport of the Year, to be handed out at the end of the season awards banquet.
Coach Mark Rosengard noted the team was lucky to have Golden on the Newsome Ice Wolves, and that the Lightning could not possibly have made a better choice for its first ‘Good Sport of the Month.’
“His actions following the accidental collision on the ice were typical of Andrew and the respect he consistently displays for everyone involved in the game, regardless of the color of their jersey,” said Rosengard.
The coach noted that Golden’s strong character shows through in his sportsmanship and the attitude with which he approaches any activity.
For more information or to nominate a player, visit the website at www.lightninghighschoolhockeyleague.com/.
