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Flin Flon Bombers goalie Travis Crickard is going above and beyond when it comes to giving back to the community. The St. John's, NFLD., native has formed the Crickard's Kids Foundation, which will give children aged six to 12 a chance to watch a Bombers regular season game starting with the home opener this Saturday. "I thought it would be a nice thing to do. I wanted to try to get more involved with the community this year and I talked to my parents over the summer about it and they thought it would be a good idea, too," Crickard explained, following a team practice on Friday. "I guess I'm trying to follow in the footsteps of guys like Curtis Joseph and Trevor Linden because they have kids' foundations, too." While it is common for professional athletes to show such generosity, it's uncommon for amateur athletes to do the same. "Personally I haven't seen this from my time living here," said Richard Dupre, Crickard's teammate. "It may have happened, but Crickard doing this for them just shows how good of a guy he is. The kids are going to appreciate it tons. Kids are already banging on the glass in pre-season asking for tickets when Crickard's sitting his half-game out there." Crickard's coach, Doug Stokes, said it's a wonderful gesture. "He's a quality person," Stokes said. "He loves playing in the community and helping. It's a great humble gesture." Stokes, like Dupre, said he doesn't know of anyone else who has done this. "I think it's unreal," Dupre said. "We love the fan support and we love the kids and the more we have here, the happier we are." Ballots will be placed in local elementary schools and the Bombers goalie will select a kid prior to each game. Kids who already have season tickets are not eligible. Along with giving the children tickets, Crickard is also thinking about getting his picture taken with them and signing it. Last year along with Zane Kalemba, Crickard helped out goalies during minor hockey practices.
