At the New York rink, future Division I hockey players were learning how to skate. The 3-year-old boy wandered around the ice wearing a hockey jersey.
But he was wearing the wrong skates.
In other words, it's wrong for a hockey player. Marshall Warren took to the ice for the first time in figure skating, following in the footsteps of his older sister Ariel. He learned the basics of his future sport by using toe picks instead of holding a stick.
“Marshall wanted to get a hockey stick,” Marshall's mother, Lisa, told The Michigan Daily. “I said to him, 'Marshall, I don't want you to be a kid who's going to hang on to a stick for the rest of his life because he can't stand on the ice.' You have to learn how to do it, and then we'll learn from it.''
When watching other boys play hockey, Marshall admitted to hiding behind the boards out of embarrassment. However, figure skating built his hockey talent. Marshall is now a graduated defenseman on the Michigan State hockey team, but while he was learning to figure skate, his hidden children have long since left the sport.
Figure skating was Marshall's introduction to ice, but hockey was Marshall's first love. He loved speed, competition, and most of all, camaraderie. That passion drove him through skating lessons, junior hockey, the U.S. National Development Team, and all the way to college hockey.
Marshall worked hard and was rewarded. Now he's teaching others how to do the same.
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Legendary Eagles coach Jerry York retired ahead of Marshall's senior year at Boston College, where he spent four years before joining the Wolverines. One of York's final decisions as head coach was to name Marshall captain for next season, expecting him to provide consistent leadership through the coaching change.
Not only was it a huge honor for Marshall, but it was also a history-making move. In his more than 100-year history of Boston College hockey, Marshall was the first black captain.
“It was cool for kids who looked like me, especially hockey players, to be able to look at someone and go, 'Wow, I can do that when I get older,'” Marshall told the Daily. Ta. “At BC, I was kind of floating just because I'm black, so for people to watch me, watch our games, watch me on TV, just to be inspired and want to do it. , I think it was really important to be a leader on a team like that, whether it's just playing hockey or just doing something with your life. ”
However, Marshall isn't just making an impact through his television screen. He actively impacts his community by working with Ice Hockey in Harlem, a New York City nonprofit that provides free hockey lessons and educational enrichment programs to children. It's expanding. Marshall may have sailed to Boston or traveled west to Ann Arbor, but he never left his home completely.
Interacting with children and seeing their smiles deepened Marshall's love for the sport. Just talking about them immediately brought a big smile to his own face. Clearly, the benefits of his work go both ways.
“Representation is the most important thing, but when you're talking about ice hockey and players of color, representation can go a long way,” Harlem Ice Hockey Executive Director Malik Garvin told the Daily. It's sexual,” he said. “…We offer a very diverse program that is hard to find anywhere else. , it has been proven that it is possible.”
While it's meaningful to represent a minority in a predominantly white sport, it also comes with its own set of adversities.
Marshall, who was playing in Russia with the NTDP team, was called the N-word by a player on the Russian team. It wasn't the first time he'd heard those words, but it was the first time he was old enough to truly understand the gravity of what had happened. His coach immediately took action and called for the game to be stopped. Marshall's teammates, his “brothers,” supported him and made sure he was okay.
At the time, Marshall didn't want to make a fuss about the incident. He just wanted to keep playing. But even after all these years, his experience still lingers in his mind. It's something that will never leave him, will never be okay, and will forever drive him.
“When moments like that happen, I keep reminding Marshall that the reason he plays the sport is because he loves it so much,” Ariel told The Daily. “… Thinking about the support of his teammates, thinking about the support he provided to others within the space, and being able to educate and let people know that this is still going on is great. ”
That moment was horribly unfair, but it helped shape Marshall into the player and leader he is today. Part of the reason is because he got knocked down and picked himself back up stronger. And part of the reason is because the team's support reinforced the very reason he fell in love with hockey in the first place.
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When Marshall was 6 or 7 years old, he went on a cruise with his family. Like any small child would, he brought some toys, small superhero figures. And Marshall's father, Lewis, fondly remembers his young son spreading joy with those toys.
“I'll never forget a few parents coming up to us and telling us that their son Marshall was sharing a superhero figure with his son, who happened to be in a wheelchair,” Lewis said. told the Daily. “It brought tears to our eyes because Marshall cares about his team, he's trying to develop himself, he's making friends, he's trying to grow the game of hockey, but it's not just hockey.” I love creating and building community.”
Sharing a toy as a child may seem like a small act, but to Lewis it was notable because it embodied the values of service that he and Lisa instilled in Marshall from an early age. It was worth it. The same giving qualities that Marshall displayed then made him a leader in his community and on every hockey team he has ever been a part of.
After completing his senior season as a captain at Boston University, Marshall was recognized for his contributions to the community by being named to the John “Snooks” Kelly Memorial Award and to the top six for ACC Achievement. After transferring to Michigan that season, Marshall was named alternate captain before playing a single game for the Wolverines.
Beyond the tangible honors, Marshall quickly earned the respect of his new teammates, and they followed his lead when he made Michigan his home.
This January, Harlem Ice Hockey traveled west to team up with Clark Park, a similar program based in Detroit. Of course, the opportunity to visit Marshall also motivated this trip. For this visit, Marshall gathered some of his teammates and some Michigan women's hockey players to skate with his kids.
“It was a really great event,” said Lisa, who serves on Harlem's ice hockey committee. “My philosophy, and the reason I’m so passionate about being involved in Harlem hockey, is because I want kids to have an experience and understand that there’s more to them than the community they live in. ”
Watching Marshall play college hockey in his authentic way and interact with his teammates speaks volumes. Marshall was instrumental in organizing similar events during his time at Boston College, and in the process he has influenced countless children, which is exactly what ice hockey in Harlem is meant to be.
“Marshall and people like him are an important part of what we're trying to do,” Garvin said. “It's one thing to say that. It's another thing to have a living example.”
Marshall's upbringing was defined by giving back. His parents led by example and instilled in him the value of service. Even through the challenges of competing at a high level in a naturally competitive environment, Marshall never lost sight of his family mindset.
In fact, he used his differences and the adversity they caused as his driving force.
“In some ways, you have to get used to being the person that people don't understand,” Marshall said. “There's a lot of adversity, but that's what drives you. …Especially in a predominantly white sport like hockey, there aren't that many black people playing, so it's just for me to be a part of it. It’s cool, and just being able to do it at a high level is pretty cool.”
Whether it's the 3-year-old who wore a hockey jersey and figure skates or the 6-year-old who happily shared his toys, the love for others is the same. A graduate student who will soon be leaving his college hockey career turned that love into a life of service.
Marshall Warren has worked hard to get his hockey career to this point. And now he is working just as hard to lift others up to meet him.
