Kids join NHL Street League (Kalamazoo Wings)
KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — Hockey grows in popularity every year, with more fans attending games, following players in action and following the sport in the offseason.
But despite the growing number of fans, getting those fans to participate in sports remains a challenge. Aspen Institute 2019 report The study found that families spend an average of $2,500 per child per year to play ice hockey — more than football, basketball, and baseball combined.
That's why the Kalamazoo Wings have partnered with the NHL to bring a new way to play to the streets of West Michigan.
The Vancouver Canucks' ECHL affiliate will be the first professional ice hockey team to become an official ECHL affiliate. NHL Street Operator. The league brings ball hockey to neighborhoods and communities, teaching the fundamentals of the game without incurring a lot of expense.
“NHL STREET is an opportunity for a team like us to get out into the community and bring kids a casual experience to the sport of hockey,” said Chris Cadeau, K-Wings Director of Public Relations and Broadcasting.
The street hockey league isn't expected to launch until 2025, but teams are already preparing for two camps to be held on July 17 and August 14, which are free for local kids to attend.
Cado said the goal of NHL Street in Kalamazoo is to provide an opportunity for people who don't normally have a chance to play hockey, especially those who live in the inner city. The idea to bring the K-Wings to all of Kalamazoo's residents was spearheaded by the team's head coach, Joel Martin.
Martin, a former K-Wings player before taking on the head coaching role, is one of only seven Black coaches to lead a team in North American hockey history.
“When he took this role two years ago and I first met with him, I asked him, 'What do you want to do? Like, where do you want to make an impact?' He said, 'I want to go to areas where hockey isn't as big, like the city of Kalamazoo, and bring hockey to them. I want kids to look at me and think, 'If he can do it, I can do it,'” Cadeau said.
Martin will be hosting a camp later this summer to provide kids with real hockey instruction and experience.
Cado said he hopes the kids will not only gain experience but fall in love with the sport of hockey and one day turn professional, reliving what he started in Kalamazoo all those years ago.
“You never know what's going to happen … 15 years from now, the NHL draft was last week and the K-Wings are part of their story and I think that's the most important thing to us,” Cadeau said.
To learn more about NHL STREET and the camps being held this summer, click here. here.
