Rangers host young teams at MSG for Black History Night, Month

Anson Carter didn't understand at first why some players for T.E.A.M Hockey and Ice Hockey in Harlem were crying on the bench during their games Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.

"There were kids that were crying because they were upset that they had to get off the ice for a line change," said Carter, a former NHL forward who coached T.E.A.M. Hockey. "I thought they're upset and wanted to go home. They said, 'No, I want to go back on the ice. What did you pull me off for?'"
The Bronx-based T.E.A.M. (Together Everyone Achieves More) faced off against Ice Hockey in Harlem (IHIH) as part of the New York Rangers' Black History Night and Black History Month celebration.

"It was an unbelievable experience to have these kids go out and play in the world's most famous arena," said Carter, who played in 674 NHL games with eight teams from 1996-2007.

The experience continued afterward when the young players left the MSG ice and took seats in the arena to watch the Rangers host the Florida Panthers (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, TVAS).
About 50 players participated in four games divided by age groups. The contests were the first organized games for T.E.A.M. Hockey, a program established last season that offers free programming that allows students 14 and under in under-resourced communities to have access to athletic, academic, civic and social opportunities through hockey.
The program skates out of the Kips Boys & Girls Club in the Bronx borough of New York.
Nyla Santana, an 11-year-old T.E.A.M. hockey player admitted to having a little stage fright in her Broadway debut.
"I was pretty nervous at first because all those people were watching me and I just got the hang of it and I wasn't nervous anymore," she said.
Ice Hockey in Harlem, founded in 1987, is an affiliate of the NHL's Hockey Is For Everyone initiative and provides free access to the sport and academic enrichment programs for kids ages 5 to 18.
"I felt really great and excited being out there because, I mean, I'm where the Rangers skate," said Mason Caver, a 9-year-old IHIH player. While Carter, an "NHL on TNT" analyst, coached T.E.A.M. Hockey, former NHL forward Tony McKegney was the IHIH's bench boss.
"What it does for me is that remind me when kids are having that much fun how hockey was when you're eight, nine, 10 years old," said McKegney, who played 13 NHL season for seven teams and became the first Black player to score 40 goals in a season (1987-88 with the St. Louis Blues). "Quite a nice thing that the Rangers and MSG have done to put this on for the kids and their families. Everyone had a great time."