Columbus Ice Hockey Club honored with NHL Foundation U.S. grant

COLUMBUS -- Youth hockey is alive and well in Ohio, and the Columbus Ice Hockey Club is a big reason why.

Over the past 25 years, the Columbus Ice Hockey Club has provided hockey and skating instruction, as well as programming focused on health, academics, violence prevention, and community service in Central Ohio to more than 3,000 kids each year.

The program was announced as the recipient of the NHL Foundation U.S. "Empowerment Grant for Girls Hockey" on Friday, which also came with a $50,000 donation, showcasing the NHL's commitment to fostering youth development and increasing female participation by making hockey more accessible to all girls, regardless of background.

"We have unique resources as a professional sports team," Columbus Blue Jackets senior vice president and chief marketing officer Kathryn Dobbs said at a luncheon honoring the Columbus Ice Hockey Club on Friday. "Certainly, the opportunity to raise funds and reinvest in this community is something we're very, very serious about. Beyond the financial piece, though, I think we still play hockey. At the end of day, we play hockey. We're not experts in all of the areas that we believe need to be addressed within a sport and in our community.

"So I think, one, we have an opportunity to bring the right people to the table. We have some credibility to have the conversations, but we also have connections, and we have unique resources. Even with partnerships, we have incredible corporate partners at the Blue Jackets, and it's important to them to do good and to give back to the community and to make a difference."

The luncheon also featured a Q and A with former professional players Blake Bolden and Haley Skarupa. Bolden won championships in the Canadian Women's Hockey League (2015) and National Women's Hockey League (2016) and gold in the 2008 and 2009 IIHF World Under-18 Women's World Championship. Skarupa won gold in the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, the 2015, 2016 and 2017 Women's World Championships and the 2011 World Under-18 Championship. Each knows the importance of having proper role models in helping grow the women's game.

"It's huge," Bolden said. "I think for me, I think it puts a little fire in my belly to be a better person, to be a better service to the game, to be a better role model, to give back.

"The game is such a gift. It was given to me when I was 6 years old, and it's changed my life for the better. It's allowed me to meet wonderful people like Haley, and to travel the world and win and lose and learn so much about myself. So to be put in this position and to be surrounded by women who are so powerful and like-minded, it's a privilege and an honor, and I know that if we do well, the next generation is going to do well."

The NHL, Blue Jackets, ESPN and Ohio State University hosted numerous youth hockey community events this week, including multiple Learn to Skate and Learn to Play clinics. On Friday, ESPN also announced a grant for Ohio State's LiFEsports (Learning in Fitness and Education) program. Since 2009, it has supported the community by providing positive programming for youth development. It supports girls and boys of all ages.

"We brought in a bunch of local leaders, youth girls, athletes just from this area, in tandem with the Stadium Series," Skarupa said, "and then some incredible leaders in hockey and sports, just to talk about the importance of sports and hockey in young females, young athletes, and where it can kind of take you. So it's been awesome to get to know these people."

The luncheon also was opened with remarks from Kim Davis, senior executive vice president and president of the NHL Foundation U.S., and the panel hosted by Emily Kaplan, ESPN writer and reporter. All agreed the state of the women's game has never been better.

"I see the game growing tremendously," Skarupa said. "Every year, there's more of those teams or organizations in areas that girls hockey did not used to really be a thing. And now, with the professional league (Professional Women's Hockey League), that's only moving the needle more because girls are able to go on YouTube or watch these games on tape. So the accessibility piece is only going to get more girls to say, 'Wow, I look at these women who play hockey. I want to try it.'"