About
Sixteen
Sixteen.
What is
1616?
1616 is a 16-week mental, physical and social wellbeing experience for youth hockey teams that blends real-life stories and on-ice drills from the best hockey players in the world with proven research-based curriculum and tools. The program is designed by a team of experts to help youth hockey players, along with parents and coaches, create enriched environments that promote healthy development.
Ladd Foundation (founded by 2-time Stanley Cup Champion, Andrew Ladd and his wife, Brandy) created 1616 to make mental fitness & wellbeing a more significant focus of youth hockey and to shift minor hockey culture to emphasize hockey performance as well as the development of connections, confidence and character.
With your help, this program will empower thousands of youth hockey players, parents and coaches to develop healthier, more resilient athletes, equipped with the tools they need to thrive in sport and in life.
Strong
minds.
Stronger
Athletes.
Thriving
Kids.
What does
Sixteen
Sixteen.
Mean?
The name has several meanings:
What does.
Sixteen
Sixteen.
Mean?
The name has several meanings:
01
Andrew Ladd, Co-founder of Ladd Foundation and visionary behind 1616, is a 2-time Stanley Cup Champion and former NHL captain with more than 950 NHL career games under his belt. He’s always worn #16.
02
The program is 16-weeks long and each week tackles different elements of competence, confidence, character and connection.
03
It’s about the buffalo…
In our hunt for a name for this program we discovered something unique about buffalo that perfectly captures the essence of what we hope this program will teach kids.
When a storm hits, every animal turns and runs away to escape the storm…every animal except the buffalo. While other animals scatter chaotically trying to escape, the buffalo calmly band together and head directly into the storm.
The buffalo know that by staying calm, gathering together and facing the storm head-on, they will pass through it quickly and lessen their exposure.
This observation was made by one of the first French explorers to Canada who is credited as being the first to change the name of the North American Bison to Buffalo in 1616.
Our deepest desire is that through this program, kids will take on the attitude and mindset of the buffalo and learn to face life’s inevitable storms together, with courage and resilience.
Meet our
Expert Partners
Andrew and Brandy Ladd
Founders of Ladd Foundation, visionaries behind 1616
Dr. Jean Côté
Professor, Performance Lab for the Advancement of Youth in Sport (PLAYS)
School of Kinesiology and Health Studies
Queen’s University
Novus Global
Meta-Performance™ coaching
A team of elite performance coaches working with Fortune 500 companies, professional athletes and world renowned artists to go beyond high performance
Oates Sports Group
Led by Adam Oates (former NHL player and coach)
1616 On-Ice Development Consultant Member of the NHL Hall of Fame Named one of the 100th greatest players in NHL history 5th all time in NHL assists Skills coach to top NHL players
NHLPA
Player recruitment and Public Relations support
Meredith Wolff
Executive Director, 1616
Dr. Karl Erickson
Assistant Professor, Institute for the Study of Youth Sports (ISYS)
Department of Kinesiology
Michigan State University
ThePostGame
1616 Managing Producer
Multi-functional sports consultancy and studio serving athletes, foundations, leagues, teams, media companies and brands
Anthem Creative
Brand, creative production and youth culture advisors
Dr. Luc Martin
1616 Head of Curriculum Design
Sport psychology and team dynamics expert
Associate Professor, Performance Lab for the Advancement of Youth in Sport (PLAYS)
School of Kinesiology and Health Studies
Queen’s University
Banner.tv
1616 Video Production
Full-service creative digital content studio specializing in video production
Impact Society
Chris Primeau & Jordan Remple
Mental health curriculum development
and assessment specialists
As an NHL hockey player and optometrist,
….there have been countless stressful situations that have forced us to reach out, seek help and educate ourselves on how to work on our mental habits and skills. We personally put lots of time into the mental side of what we do, and we want to bring the approach of training our brain like we do our body to kids. Why would we put so much time and effort into our kid’s physical activities and not do the same for their mental and social wellbeing?
We see the look of defeat and feel the sadness in their eyes when they have lost a game or failed an exam. We hurt seeing one of their friends struggle with confidence socially at hockey practice. How do we equip our next generation with tools to not only understand different emotions, pressures and stress but thrive within those moments?
It’s this question that has led us to create 1616. 1616 is an epic collision of our passion for sport and the mental wellbeing of kids. By using our lived experience, stories and network of world class experts, we will help equip parents, coaches and youth across North America with new skills through a progressive hockey-based curriculum. Providing our youth with the mental tools they need to navigate all the different challenges the world will inevitably throw their way can go a long way towards putting them in a position to be happy and successful.
A personal note from the Ladds and the heartbeat of 1616
Locklan. Andi. Walker.
Those are the names of our 3 young kids. They mean everything to us and like any parent we want the best for our kids.
We Want
nothing more than for them (and all kids) to have the confidence not to care about what anybody else thinks of them.
them to have the confidence to pursue their passions.
them to walk through their day, excited to learn, excited to interact with friends.
them to have a growth mindset.
them to make mistakes and learn from them and know that they can benefit from them.
them to know that there are going to be situations that come up that are stressful, and not to be scared or back down from them.
them to be courageous.
them to know how to deal with pressure.
them to have their own opinion about life, to not be afraid of trying new things.
them to be open and curious about people who have different views than their own.
them to understand that improvement = success, not an A+ or a hat trick.
them to crave a challenge, and not to procrastinate tasks. Work hard always, but know when to relax. a generation that knows how to be kind to others, to be humble, and be silly.
them to truly, deeply care about their friends and family.
them to care about “something” greater than themselves.
them to find their purpose and passion.
them to be happy and successful and know that it is up to them to define these words and create their own vision.
them to know that happiness and success is rooted in the power of their mind. They are in control.
them to know they are so loved.
About Ladd Foundation
Ladd Foundation’s mission is to give youth access to resources which support their health and wellbeing. Rooted in personal experiences and a firm belief that it is critical to give back to your community, Ladd Foundation addresses a variety of issues impacting young people, such as mental health and wellbeing, meeting the needs of individuals with disabilities, physical health, the environment and fighting poverty. The primary initiative of Ladd Foundation is 1616.