What a month for youth hockey players and the National Hockey League! Whoever still thinks that the NHL needs to make a comeback from recent years, well, this is exactly how the NHL is doing it. This month, the NHL is celebrating "Hockey is for Everyone" month, which consists of various events involving NHL clubs, players, alumni, and non-profit youth hockey programs. The main goal of "Hockey is for Everyone" is to provide support and unique programming to non-profit youth hockey organizations across North America that are committed to offering children of all backgrounds, opportunities to play hockey. Along with this, the aspect that I found most interesting is that all of these events hosted by the NHL will coincide with the celebration of Black History Month, which is also this month. NHL ambassadors Willie O'Ree, who was the first black player in the history of the NHL, and Tony McKegney, will travel throughout North America to promote the initiative and be a part of most of these events. Here are just a few of the events taking place this month.
Feb. 4, Washington -- The Washington Capitals' Donald Brashear and Nicklas Backstrom and Los Angeles Kings' Wayne Simmonds join Willie O'Ree to skate with kids from the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club, the oldest minority youth hockey program in the U.S.
Feb. 9, New York -- Los Angeles Kings forward Wayne Simmonds hosts a meet-and-greet with kids from the Ice Hockey in Harlem diversity program.
Feb 11 & 12, Nashville -- The Nashville Predators host a two-day "Hockey is for Everyone" fan-fest with forward Joel Ward and O'Ree both visit with students from Vanderbilt University.
Feb 13-15, Chicago -- The Chicago Blackhawks celebrate USA Hockey Weekend Across America with Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois (AHAI). Events include free open skate and sled hockey games at local rinks.
Feb 27-28, Calgary -- O'Ree and McKegney participate in the HEROS diversity program Friendship Tournament.
To me, by hosting all of these events, the NHL and the teams that reside in it have found a great way to not only build their brand image, but also give back to communities around the U.S. Also, by hosting events like this and teaching youth players how to play and respect the game, hockey in general has a great opportunity to grow. With this, and as a die hard hockey fan, it is pretty amazing to know that since its inception, "Hockey is for Everyone" has exposed more that 45,000 boys and girls to unique hockey experiences. Experiences like the ones listed above and in the article will not only stay with these kids, but it will also make them love the game and become involved with it for the rest of their lives. That is exactly what the NHL and the game of hockey are looking for.
See more of the events at...
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