Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik wants to help Bay area kids to learn and play the sport of hockey and he’s putting his money where his mouth is.
Over the next five years, the Lightning and JP Morgan Chase will invest $6 million and partner with the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players Association to start a five-step plan designed to introduce kids to the basics of hockey. That includes distributing Lightning sticks and balls for street hockey to over 100,000 children from the third through fifth grades and providing 10,000 hours of hockey training to students and physical education coaches, including high school hockey coaches.
Palat, Johnson, Garrison and Kucherov playing street hockey #TBLightning pic.twitter.com/1xcqygDSO3
— Erik Erlendsson (@erlendssonTBO) September 14, 2015
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Other parts of the plan will look to increase the number of 7-13 year old kids who are registered with USA Hockey by 1,000, more than doubling the existing number; assign club players, alumni and community leaders to mentor 100 at-risk youths and create a 10-team junior varsity hockey program. A goal is to also develop strategy-based skills that help in the scholastic arena.
Executive director of community hockey development Jay Feaster said, “ I have to admit my first two months back here – last July and August – I’d sit in the office and say ‘What am I gonna do today? There wasn’t enough on the agenda to do. I promise you, we have plenty to do now.” Feaster went on, “We played street hockey that day (at the Tampa Bay Youth Sports Expo) with more than 300 area youngsters, the vast majority telling us they had never played the game or picked up a stick prior to that day.”
Since Vinik purchased the Lightning in 2010, the franchise has awarded $9.1 million to over 300 local organizations over the past four seasons. He’s honor 179 community heroes at home games and has donated 20,000 hours of community service.
Kids from local Boys and Girls clubs and YMCAs and about a dozen Lightning players raced back and forth across temporary street hockey rinks in Thunder Alley today after the announcement..
Lightning right-winger Nikita Kucherov said as a child he didn’t have access to a program like Build the Thunder. “It’s incredible for the kids,” he said. “If I had a chance to play like this with the NHL players, that would be probably the best day of my life.”
(Feature Photo/Getty Images)
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