Hockey: Diversity Profile -- Mariucci Inner City Hockey Association

The Mariucci Inner City Hockey Association is a member of the NHL Diversity Task Force. It has been around since 1985, based in Minnesota, St. Paul to be exact, which is the lesser known of the Twin Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

When the program first began, it's focus was getting inner city children started in hockey, which, believe it or not, wasn't hard to do in the hockey crazy state of Minnesota.

For the past two years, the program has added squirt and peewee programs. There are 100 children in the mite hockey program and 40 more in the alumni group. Those in the alumni group act as role models for their younger peers in the program.

Like the other DTF programs, hockey isn't the only focus. Education is. Right now, the program conducts two educational programs: the "Get Ready Program," which prepares kids for prep school and college, and the "Sports for the Right Reasons." program. The Sports for the Right Reasons program gives coaches an outline on how to create a positive sports experience for children.

Along with the Dino-Mights, their fellow DTF program from Minneapolis, and the NHL's Minnesota Wild, the Association will be hosting the 2003 Willie O'Ree All Star game to be held in February in St. Paul.

Because they are based in St. Paul, which is also the city the Wild call home, it's not that unusual to see Wild players, such as Darby Hendrickson and members of the Wild coaching staff, visiting the kids and conducting hockey clinics.

One might think the Mariucci Hockey Association would be satisfied with the work they've done for inner city kids in St. Paul. They aren't. The goal of the association then as now has been to get as many inner city kids as they can interested in the game of hockey. So far, they've succeeded,and there's more work to be done.