WORLD CUP OF HOCKEY 2016 & BEYOND SPORT CONCLUDE ‘HOCKEY SENSE’ SUMMITS

During the World Cup of Hockey 2016, a best-on-best international tournament featuring more than 160 NHL players from 14 different countries, members across the hockey community convened at the Hockey Hall of Fame to discuss the role of hockey in a wider social context with a focus on environmental sustainability, diversity, and youth development within the game.

On September 19, at the first inaugural Hockey SENSE summit, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA Executive Director Don Fehr, welcomed hockey leaders from across the globe.

Featuring NHL alumnus Willie O’Ree, the first black player in the NHL; Harnarayan Singh, the first-ever Hockey Night in Canada Punjabi commentator; and Cassie Campbell-Pascall, two-time women’s hockey Olympic gold medalist and national broadcast commentator, the morning’s content highlighted the international growth in the sport and reflected the culture around diversity within the sport.

"In Canada, hockey breaks down barriers, hockey bridges the gap between cultures, and hockey unites society. Hockey is that universal force...and I'm humbly standing here before you...as proof." – Harnarayan Singh

Three-time Stanley Cup Champion and Hockey Hall of Fame member Igor Larionov spoke of how the league has evolved since he fought to breaking down the barriers that subsequently paved the way for members of the former Soviet Union to play in the NHL.

“The league has become more international, as Commissioner Bettman said ‘25% of players are now from outside North America.’ It doesn’t matter what passport you have, if you are a good hockey player and a good person you have a chance to make it.”– Igor Larionov

The day concluded with an in-depth discussion on the environmental issues that are challenging the game and the role the hockey community is playing in promoting green initiatives. Stanley Cup Champion and current President of BrightCore Energy Mike Richter, who has devoted his career to improving sustainability of ice rinks, gave his opinion on how the hockey community can take an active role in protecting the games traditional landscape for future generations to enjoy.

“Our sport is affected by climate change more than any other; our game was born on the frozen ponds of North America.  The availability of free ice creates the culture we love.  We don’t want this to become an elite sport. We need to preserve the outdoor rink.” – Mike Richter

“Billions of us, over hundreds of years, made environmentally ignorant decisions.  Now we need billions of us, over a shorter amount of time, to make environmentally intelligent decisions…The truth is, the NHL is leading the sports greening movement, you’re the most environmentally committed league in the world, and that is the truth.” – Allen Hershkowitz

The second hockey summit at the Hockey Hall of Fame focused on youth hockey development including coaching, age-appropriate development, and the integration of hockey’s core values – perseverance, hard work, and commitment – that transcend the game. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA Executive Director Don Fehr gave opening remarks with the Commissioner setting the scene for the morning content:

“The development of players, and encouraging young people to be interested in our game, is important -- not because they might grow up to be hockey stars but because hockey players view the world with a greater sense of responsibility, focusing on teamwork, hard work, physical fitness and being a good student.  Our game can have a greater impact on society as a whole if it delivers the right messages and promotes important core values.” – Commissioner Bettman

Former NHL and international hockey stars including: Pat LaFontaine (NHL), Mathieu Schneider (NHLPA), Adam Graves (Team North America), Miroslav Satan (Team Europe) and Luc Robitaille (Los Angeles Kings), continued the conversation on how to encourage participation within the game, improve the experience for players and their families, and how to better support grassroots hockey.

“Hockey players have tremendous character; the game teaches you to be humble, to become a better parent, worker, teammate. It’s about the person, about life skills.” – Pat LaFontaine

“When you talk to parents of girls who play, they talk about fun and comraderie, the growth is there because they are having fun.” – Mathieu Schneider

“If a coach delivers the right message it can change your life. There are a lot of things you don’t want to hear from your parents but if your coach tells you, you accept it. When done right, the influence on kids is powerful, it stays with you forever.” – Luc Robitaille

The ‘Hockey Sense’ summits were coordinated by the NHL and NHLPA in partnership with Beyond Sport and participated by many international hockey federations including Canada, the United States, Sweden, Russia, Czech Republic, Hungary and Germany.