"It means a lot to me because I'm learning how to use these," the 10-year-old member of the Boys & Girls Club of Broward Country said as she held a street hockey stick. "I'm learning how to use these, because I've never used them before in my life, so I'm learning how to control the ball with it."
The NHL, NHL Players' Association and Florida Panthers, working in partnership with the Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation Department, will resurface the outdoor rink directly behind the Baptist Health IcePlex, the future two-sheet practice facility for the Panthers that will also serve as a community rink.
"When we put on a major event, we like to give back something to the community that will endure," Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "In terms of a refurbished roller hockey rink, we are in Florida and there's a shortage, to say the least, of outdoor ice. But to be able to have young people get a sense of our game -- and our game is great in instilling values in young people, whether it's leadership, teamwork or discipline or physical fitness -- this is an opportunity for young people and the community to connect with our game when they might not otherwise have been able to."
The Boys & Girls Club members were treated to a ball hockey clinic with an All-Star lineup of instructors, including Panthers forwards Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov, retired NHL forward
Peter Worrell
, Canadian national women's team members Sarah Nurse and Rebecca Johnston, and
Andrew Ference
, the League's director of social impact, growth and fan development who played 16 NHL seasons.
"It means so much to me to see not only to see arenas and hockey in South Florida, but just seeing the actual passion and willingness of the kids, of the people, here for hockey," Nurse said. "The kids are so excited, they want to play roller hockey, they want to get on the ice."
Jeff Scott, NHL vice president of community development and growth, said the NHL, NHLPA and Panthers have committed $120,000 toward the rink refurbishment. Announcing the contribution and being surrounded by Boys & Girls Club members was a special moment for Scott, who grew up in Florida.
Panthers president and CEO Matt Caldwell said the rink refurbishment and the team's new practice facility will serve as drivers in helping increase diversity and inclusion in hockey.
"Floorball, as a fun, low-barrier introduction to the game can be a key part of that equation," Caldwell said. "The revitalization of this outdoor rink, coupled with our new team practice and community ice facility, will not only provide a gateway for more tri-county kids to learn the basics of the sport at a young age, but carve out a real and accessible pathway for them to further progress in their hockey journey."
Photos: Florida Panthers
