NHL Black Hockey History Tour inspires on visit to Tennessee State

NASHVILLE -- The NHL Black Hockey History Tour made history itself Friday at Tennessee State University.

The stop marked the first time the 525-square-foot mobile museum that celebrates Black achievement in hockey visited a historically Black college campus in the United States.

And not just any historically black college or university (HBCU). Tennessee State is considering whether to become the first HBCU in the nation to establish NCAA Division I men's and women's hockey programs.

The museum's visit, part of the 2022 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series activities leading to the game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nashville Predators at Nissan Stadium on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET; TNT, SN360, TVAS2), gave students, faculty and administrators a glimpse of hockey's past and spurred hopes for the sport's future on campus.

"As I walk through and you look at all the trailblazers and pioneers that have really had an impact and growing the game and fighting for diversity in hockey, it's amazing to see," said Mikki Allen, Tennessee State's director of athletics. "First, you've got to know where the game's been to know where it's going. Our initiative here wanting to bring a Division I hockey program to an HBCU and, for that matter, to the great state of Tennessee, we could be a part of that history, and that's pretty significant."

Allen wore a custom-made blue Tennessee State hockey jersey as he spoke in the mobile museum in front of a wall of hockey cards, a loaned collection by educator Dean Barnes of Black NHL and World Hockey Association players, past and present.

Nashville Predators president & CEO Sean Henry toured the museum and was proud to see the jerseys of former Nashville players Joel Ward, P.K. Subban and Seth Jones hanging in three locker stalls. Ward is now a coach for the Vegas Golden Knights' American Hockey League affiliate in Henderson, Nevada; Subban is a defenseman for the New Jersey Devils; and Jones is a defenseman for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Henry said Tennessee State is the perfect HBCU to start an NCAA hockey program because of its rich history in sports, particularly track and field. Wilma Rudolph became the first woman to win three gold medals at the 1960 Olympics in Rome and was part of Tennessee State's storied women's track team, nicknamed the Tigerbelles, that produced 40 Olympians who won 13 gold medals, six silver and four bronze medals.

"People did on this campus what other people didn't think was possible," Henry said. "Truly, it changed what we do in sports. And I think we have an opportunity to do it again to the women and men of TSU. So by bringing the museum here today, it shows what's possible. There's nothing better than representation for other people to look at say, 'I can do this.'"

Tennessee State announced in May 2021 that it's exploring adding hockey to its offering of varsity sports. A feasibility study funded by the NHL and NHL Players' Association's Industry Growth Fund was conducted to determine what it would take in terms of cost, people power and facilities to bring hockey to TSU's campus.

"Obviously, there have been many initiatives, from grassroots initiatives to one we have now to bring inclusion and diversity into the college space," Allen said. "I know that there's a young man and a young woman who have aspirations of playing Division I hockey and attending a prominent HBCU. And the return on investment and what we're doing here, the significant partnerships that we have with the Nashville Predators, College Hockey Inc., the NHL, it's phenomenal to have those partners who understand, hey, this is not a risk. This is what's needed for the game to grow and to elevate and be more inclusive."

Tennessee State is among the more than 100 colleges and universities in the U.S. federally designated as HBCUs. They were established before 1964 with the primary mission of educating Black Americans who generally were denied admission to predominantly white schools in the pre-civil rights era.

Several HBCUs have gone about diversifying their sports programs in recent years, adding golf, cycling and esports teams.

Dr. Christian Bramwell, a Tennessee State sports medicine physician, was all smiles as he toured the mobile museum on Friday. Dr. Bramwell, a Toronto native who lived in Tampa and became a Lightning fan, hopes the museum's stop will help hockey catch on at the university.

"By just getting this here and seeing all the Black players who have come before and played hockey can let people know that it's not new and it shouldn't be that intimidating," Dr. Bramwell said. "There's a rich history that we just don't know about that this stuff here can explain it to us in a nice way."