Dumba, who was awarded the 2020 King Clancy Trophy for his efforts in diversity and inclusion in hockey, surprised MN Unbounded, a team comprised of 10U and 12U girls of color, with tickets to the 2022 Discover Winter Classic at Target Field on Jan. 1.
"Actually, a couple of the girls, I've interacted with them over the last couple of years at my Hockey Without Limits camp so it's kind of cool to see the faces in the stands and just how excited they were," said Dumba. "I think it's just huge for the game. It's empowering for women's hockey but also kids of color. Seeing them out in the stands, you don't see that every day in hockey or in a hockey rink."
MN Unbounded initially attended the Wild's practice on Friday to support their coach and University of Minnesota women's hockey defenseman Crystalyn Hengler, who helped kick-off Minnesota's Girl's Hockey Weekend, a weekend-long celebration of girl's and women's hockey, who participated in the practice.
Post-practice the team got the ice to themselves where Dumba skated and told them about their invite to the Jan. 1 premiere event.
While the ticket surprise was a highlight, for Dumba it was the background to a moment that meant even more.
"Me and Crystal were talking about it on the bench, I think it was pretty cool when you're sitting with another person of color on the bench looking out into the stands full of color, different shades, faces, races," he said. "It's sometimes a real lonely feeling being in a hockey world being different, to see that gave me a smile and warmed my heart to see these girls here today."
