Teddy Stevens boarded a plane at the Anchorage airport that bears his name and headed for Colorado Springs. While there, he toured the U.S. Olympic Training Center where his name adorns a world-class training facility.
It seems that there aren’t many places this 14-year-old goes these days that the contributions of his famous grandfather aren’t staring him in the face.
The elder Ted Stevens was the longest-serving Republican senator in history,
representing Alaska for 40 years. His contributions to his home state are widely known. So is the work that he performed in the halls of Washington on behalf of amateur sports and the Olympic community.
The Ted Stevens’ Olympic and Amateur Sports Act established the U.S. Olympic Committee as the central body for amateur sports in the United States and led to the creation of national governing bodies, such as USA Hockey.
Teddy was only 9 years old when his grandfather was killed in a plane crash in southwest Alaska in August 2010. Still, he carries with him many memories of his grandfather such as the time he helped the avid young fisherman haul a 45-pound King Salmon out of the Naknek River.
“He traveled quite a bit, but when he was home he always made time for us,” said Teddy, one of 11 grandchildren.
Part of that time was spent at the local rink where he would watch the young goaltender and his two older brothers play hockey.
“I just love to play the game and it makes me happy to know that he helped make this happen, not only for me but for so many other athletes,” said Stevens, whose father, Ben, served in the Alaska State Senate.
Now the youngster is looking to make a name for himself as one of the top goaltenders in the USA Hockey player development system. And earning a spot at the Western Regional High Performance Camp is a good start.
The five-day camp was a chance for 200 of the top 14-year-olds from the Pacific, Northern Plains and Rocky Mountain Districts to learn how to take their game to the next level.
For Stevens and the other goaltenders, that meant spending time with coaches like Kevin Reiter, who works with many top netminders at the National Team Development Program.
“It’s a great learning experience because you get to play with kids from all around the western United States. Rooming with other kids from other states is a great learning experience as well,” said Stevens, who helped his Kelly Green team capture camp bragging rights.
That confidence will help him as he embarks on a challenging season that will culminate with his Alaska Wolves hosting the 2016 Toyota-USA Hockey 14 & Under Tier I National Championships.
Stevens is excited about facing the best players in his age group, and not having to travel very far to do so. He also looks forward to showing off the place where he grew up, and where his grandfather left his mark.
“I think it’s going to be great,” Stevens said. “A lot of kids have never been to Alaska. It’s a whole different world up there.”