It may be summertime, but more than 100 kids are on the ice in St. John's this week, learning hockey skills from former giants of the Montreal Canadiens.

At the Heart and Stroke Foundation's summer hockey school, young players are working side-by-side with NHL alumni Gaston Gingras, Francis Bouillon, Mathieu Dandenault and goalie coach Richard Sévigny.

"I feel like I'm a younger guy when I'm on the ice with these kids," said Gingras, a retired defenceman.

"You've got to keep that young heart in you all the time."

Coaches, parents too competitive

Gingras says he spends 1,000 hours a year teaching kids at hockey camps, and worries they face too much pressure early on.

"The coaches want to win too much in minor hockey, at least in Quebec," he said, adding he was lucky to grow up in a small town where kids played purely for fun.

NHL alumnus Gaston Gingras says he loves working with children, but worries they face too much pressure early on. (CBC)

Now, he said he often sees parents heaping stress upon their young players.

"Some of [the parents], unfortunately, live their dreams through them."

"But I would tell them to enjoy every minute of it. Because it goes in the blink of an eye."

Maple Leafs fan has to 'suck it up'

A crowd of young players swarmed CBC News at the Twin Rinks arena Tuesday, eager to sing the camp's praises.

Nathan Nash said it was a thrill to score a goal with one of his favourite players, Francis Bouillon.

But for Toronto Maple Leafs fan Joel Kelly, playing alongside Habs has been an internal struggle.

"It feels kind of bad," he said, when asked what it's like to work with his team's archenemy.

"I just suck it up."

Kelly was immediately booed by his teammates, many of whom disagreed with his Maple Leaf beliefs.