Southern Cal’s Camp Beebe

PENSACOLA, FLA – There’s a special passion about hockey – a love for playing the game for the sake of the game – that is arguably unmatched in other sports. Players love hockey the way band members love music; many can’t imagine doing anything else. But in the case of Pensacola’s Brett Beebe it’s more than the game. It’s a love for passing it on.

A native of Redondo Beach, CA, Beebe is in his second season as a pro wingman, his 8th year as a youth coach, and his third season as a camp founder. He completed a four year college career at Western Michigan University where he was named a Lowe’s Senior Class 1st team All-American. Brett spent most of his first season with the ECHL Ontario Reign but has found a good rhythm this year with Pensacola, scoring 5 goals and 17 assists with a plus-10.

Beebe’s greatest passion is improving the skill level and character of young hockey players in California. Playing locally in Southern California throughout his minor hockey career, Brett knows the sacrifices players and parents make to achieve their goals.

“I’ve worked camps in California since I was 17,” Brett recalled. “I felt that hockey camps were very impersonal. Coaches came in, got their money, ran some easy drills, and the kids really didn’t get a lot out of their experience. Sometimes there were so many kids on the ice that they wouldn’t see any 1 on 1 coaching the entire week. The parents were spending hundreds of dollars for basically nothing.”

At Beebe Hockey Camp in Lakewood, CA, that’s certainly not be the case. Brett and his staff keep the coach-to-camper ratio to a minimum. A great deal of time is spent with the kids actually playing the game rather than just technique and drills. And one of the most exciting parts of the past two camps has been the special appearances by speakers and coach Camp Beebe 2 es like Ryan Miller, Beau Bennett, Emerson Etem, George Parros, and Eric Nystrom.

“They talk to our kids and meet them one on one,” Brett said. “It’s fantastic to watch our campers interact with NHL players. This season we’re anticipating the number of guest appearances to be even bigger.”

And there’s more. Scheduled to kick off on July 6, Camp Beebe is announcing some new experiences. For instance, campers this season will be individually recorded by coaches via iPads.They will learn by watching themselves on an app that is able to breakdown video piece by piece. Another addition to the lineup this year is game day. On Friday, campers will be split up into 4-5 person teams for a day of small area games and finishing with a full ice scrimmage, where they will compete to have their names put on the camp cup.

“The kids and the families that come to my camp end up becoming part of my own family,” says Beebe. “I keep in touch to see how the kids are doing, and try to help with any hockey choices they need advice on. I bring in pro/college players who have come from California in order to show these kids that if they dream big and work hard they can make it too. Every kid feels like they get the most out of their week. I think that’s why we’ve had so many campers come back.”

Beebe’s heart for kids has quite a reputation in the hockey community. While at Western Michigan, he won the 2012-2013 CCHA conference humanitarian award, and was one of the 11 finalists for the Mellon Wealth Management’s national collegiate humanitarian award after establishing the “Long Hair Don’t Care” foundation in honor of his mother. Through his foundation he personally raised over $25,000 for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. He has also been involved in the Special Olympics, helped renovate a house for an underprivileged family in Kalamazoo’s Edison Neighborhood, and created the Bronco Buddies Mentor program that matches student-athletes with children from local elementary schools.

Former teammates like Matt Tennyson of the San Jose Sharks and Pittsburgh Penguins’ Beau Bennett have described Beebe as a hard worker that puts everything he has into improving kids on and off the ice.

“I had the good fortune to coach Brett Beebe for 2 years,” Andy Mur Camp Beebe 3 ray, former LA Kings and St. Louis Blues coach and current Western Michigan University head coach, said. “His enthusiasm, passion and knowledge of the game is ideal in terms of teaching the game and helping young players realize their potential. He is a quality hockey leader but is an even better person; his communication skills and ability to make others feel good about themselves makes him very special.”

Beebe says he loves coming to the rink every day and playing for a first-class organization like the Pensacola Ice Flyers, who have rebounded from a mid-season slump. Brett had more comments about the team and the season which PHN will be including in a soon coming article.

“I wish there was more ice available in Northwest Florida to try and bring this camp here as well,” he stated. “The hockey tradition in Pensacola is phenomenal, and I know there are future hockey stars here if they could just get the ice time.”

You can visit Camp Beebe online at www.beebehockeycamp.com. The camp also has a very informative Facebook page. Potential campers and sponsors can email Brett directly at brettabeebe@gmail.com.

“Summer is when players make their most improvement,” Beebe said. “It’s also the time that hockey should be the most fun!”