Dumba of Wild excited to host Hockey Without Limits diversity youth camp

ROSEVILLE, Minn. -- Matt Dumba of the Minnesota Wild hosted more than 170 youth players at the second annual Matt Dumba Hockey Without Limits camp at the Guidant John Rose MN OVAL on Monday.

Aimed to help diversify the game of hockey, participants included special and sled hockey players, blind hockey players, and players of color. Dumba and the Wild partnered with Minnesota Hockey to host the camp, which was led by coaches from Minnesota Hockey.
"When you see the smiles on the kids' faces, you see how much they're enjoying it and it's hard for you to not enjoy yourself and kind of come back to being a little kid, where you first fell in love with the game," Dumba said. "Hockey can be difficult to get into, and difficult to stay in because of the price, the price of equipment, ice time. It's a very demanding sport. So I kind of opened something up like this today to have the kids come out here to experience a different style camp than they'd normally get to go to, or maybe they wouldn't even have the opportunity to come out to a camp like this. I think it's really special."
Dumba, who is out indefinitely because of a lower-body injury sustained during a 3-2 win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 12, said being sidelined isn't ideal, but it allowed the defenseman the opportunity to be at the camp in person Monday.
"Unfortunately, with an injury, that [stinks], but to be here today, this is a great moment," he said. "I'm very happy to be out here right now."

Outfitted in a coat and boots on the ice, he managed to test the skill of a few youth players who dared to take him on.
"It's been fun," Dumba said. "These kids are great. A lot of skill. I can't even get the puck out here. I know I'm just on my boots, but I was trying to cherry pick for a while there and I got no action. They are too fast."
Dumba has been vocal in the need for change in hockey. He is a member of Hockey Diversity Alliance, a group of current and former NHL players with a goal of making hockey more inclusive.
He also delivered a powerful speech before a game between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Edmonton Oilers during the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

This camp is his way of paying it forward and paving the way for hockey players who might not feel as though they belong.
"I think some people might say it's cliche or whatnot, but I truly believe that representation matters," Dumba said. "It's no coincidence that my favorite players growing up were Jarome Iginla and Paul Kariya because they kind of looked like me. To see those guys doing it and see how they carried themselves, that's what I'm trying to pay forward."