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Martin Luther King Junior asserted, "I have a dream that one day ... little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers." In February 2008 the spirit of these words were
alive in Hockey in the Hood IV. While hockey players don't necessarily
"join hands" there were plenty of hard checks and high-fives at
Jack Adams Arena
in Detroit, MI.
The annual Hockey in the Hood tournament breaks down stereotypes and
brings diverse inner-city hockey teams together for a tournament that is
capped off by the presentation of the Willie O’Ree championship trophy,
the Willie O’Cup. The fourth annual HITH celebrated Willie O’Ree’s 50th
anniversary! O'Ree broke the color barrier as the first black player in
the NHL back in 1958.
Read
Willie's biography and log on to his blog via this link.
Hockey in the Hood IV (February 15-17) was the biggest, most diverse
inner-city amateur hockey tournament yet! We are proud to rep ort this
year teams from ten different cities, including one from Alaska attended. Participating programs traveled to HITH IV from Boston, MA;
Buffalo, NY; Chicago, IL; Columbus, OH; Mount Vernon, NY; Philadelphia,
PA ; Pittsburgh, PA; Southwest Detroit’s Clark Park Coalition;
Washington, DC; and Wasilla, AK.
The Detroit Hockey Association hosted HITH IV at Jack Adams Arena. Select games
were played at the
Michigan State
Fairgrounds Coliseum (map).
Thanks to the generous support of the Detroit Red Wings, HITH IV
championship games were played at Joe Louis Arena on Sunday, February
17th!
HITH IN THE NEWS
The annual Hockey in the Hood tournament has been covered by multiple
media outlets over the years. Following are links to articles that
provide history of HITH, profiles of other inner-city programs, and
features of Willie O’Ree.
March 3, 2008 - Michigan Hockey
Detroit Hockey Association hosts a different kind of tournament
Fourth annual Hockey in the Hood draws 22 inner city and rural area
teams from all over the country
By Michael Passman
March 2, 2008 - Buffalo City News
Hasek
hits the ice with his Heroes
By James Heaney
February 19, 2008
Hockey in the Hood becomes a tradition
By Stephanie Geosits - Special to NHL.com
February 17, 2008 - Detroit Free Press
Breaking the ice
Tourney reflects minorities rising interest in sport
By Jon Machota
February 17, 2008 - Detroit Free Press
NHL Pioneer's Top Goal: Diversity
Getting personal with Willie
O'Ree
By Jon Machota
January 14, 2008 – USA TODAY
Willie O'Ree still blazing way in NHL 50 years later
By Kevin Allen
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