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February is "Hockey is for Everyone" month in the NHL with events that are now so extensive in scope that they stretch into the month of March. I think that is a fabulous thing for our sport, and I wholeheartedly applaud these programs.
I don't want to turn this blog into a political commentary beyond the scope of hockey. I will only say that, in a time where there is so much debate and division and outright anger over building walls, I am proud of my sport for taking steps to tear down barriers in participation and inclusion.
We still have a way to go -- I think everyone knows where I stand on issues that pertain to equal opportunity on the officiating recruitment, support and supervisory sides of the profession filtering up to the NHL regardless of officials' nationality, gender or sexual orientation-- but we're making positive steps. To me, the only walls in hockey should be the ones along the boards.
The NHL and the Stadium Series host Philadelphia Flyers have presented numerous exciting and positive-moving events this week that I think deserve some mention. Yesterday, the league and the Flyers announced that the Flyers have officially adopted a USA Warrior hockey team -- a team of wounded military veterans of various ages -- that will be called the Philadelphia Flyers Warriors. A $50,000 check was presented by the Flyers to the team.
The Flyers also officially sponsor a power wheelchair hockey team, the Philadelphia Flyers PowerPlay, and a sled hockey team that won national championships in their specially-adapted versions of our sport. The Warrior Hockey team is a new addition to their family of associated teams.
Unfortunately, my college hockey officiating administrative commitments precluded me this weekend from taking a trip to my stomping grounds, the Class of 1923 Arena, at my alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, for two very special events.
On Friday night, the Flyers Alumni Team is playing the Snider Hockey Alumni in a charity game at the Class of 1923 rink to celebrate a major planned renovation of the facility as a hub for the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation. The Flyers Alumni raised and donated $2 million toward the project, with Snider Hockey posting $7 million in large part from the estate of the late Mr. Snider making a $2-for-$1 matching contribution for donations to Snider Hockey.
I would have loved to have been there for this event. The arena (where I played my college hockey for Penn and served as a rink attendant for Fred Shero's Flyers teams of the mid-1970s) is a special place to me. Just as important, I believe strongly in the work that Snider Hockey and Ice Hockey in Harlem do in providing opportunities for underprivileged members of the community to not only have access to learning hockey but also to educational resources, networking and life skills.
A few months ago, Matthew Sherman (the nine-year-old son of a family friend) teamed up with a school-aged illustrator, Chloe Mako, to write a children's book about the story behind my first pair of skates; a special Christmas gift from my dad. A portion of the proceeds from the book were donated to Snider Hockey. The "Magical Christmas for Paul Stewart" project itself and Snider Hockey donation were entirely Matty's idea, and I was deeply moved by his efforts.
This weekend is also the annual Willie O'Ree Skills Weekend at the Class of 1923 Arena, attended not only by Snider Hockey kids but by children from Hockey Is For Everyone programs from across North America. I recently
blogged about my deep admiration and respect for Mr. O'Ree as a human being, a community leader and a hockey pioneer.
Hockey is For Everyone Month has included a variety of other programs and events around the NHL, including each team holding its own You Can Play night to celebrate diversity and inclusiveness. Plain and simple, if you can play (or if you can officiate), PLEASE come out and join the team because you are welcomed and needed.
In the bigger and more global picture, I see hockey development programs taking hold in China and elsewhere -- bridging cultural and political divides on one-on-one levels through the bonds that hockey forms. The story of how Irish hockey has brought together as teammates people from the opposite sides of a deep and longstanding divide is inspirational. In Israel, not only did the late Roger Neilson establish a legacy of conducting high-quality hockey clinics in that non-traditional hockey country, but the teams that play in the country's Metulla-based hockey hub near the Lebanon border are inclusive and cross-cultural. The last Winter Olympics in Korea had a team with North and South Korean women playing together on the same squad.
So when I hear about debates over physical border walls being built, my thoughts turn back to ways we can get together on rinks to tear down the walls that divide us. Speaking personally, I would love to see initiatives to expand the hockey communities in Mexico, Central and even South America. They actually do exist, but are small. They could use our support.
As Willie O'Ree is fond of saying, "Hockey is the hook. I've never introduced anyone to hockey who then said, 'This game just isn't for me.' Once you're introduced to the game, you're hooked." We've got so many more programs and resources out there that allow more and more people to play the game, either in the traditional way or via specially adapted rules and means. Throw a puck/ball down on the ice (or court), have two kids going for the same puck, and you have a game and the beginning of a learning experience that teaches mutual respect.
Let's celebrate that, and let's keep building. Don't forget the men and women in stripes while we're at it. Have a great weekend, everyone!
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A Class of 2018 inductee to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, Paul Stewart holds the distinction of being the first U.S.-born citizen to make it to the NHL as both a player and referee. On March 15, 2003, he became the first American-born referee to officiate in 1,000 NHL games. Today, Stewart is the director of hockey officiating for the ECAC.
Visit Paul's official website, YaWannaGo.com.
Blogger •Former NHL Referee • 
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