By Tennie Sumague
EBC Sports International, New York Bureau
NEW YORK (Eagle News) –Preparations for the 2018 Bridgestone Winter Classic showdown between the Buffalo Sabres and the New York Rangers are underway, with the National Hockey League (NHL) busy holding events around New York City leading to the marquee game at Citifield on New Year’s Day.
As part of the Winter Classic Legacy Project, the league and the New York Rangers, in partnership with the Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDCo) and the Garden of Dreams Foundation, unveiled the renovated Youth Leadership Center in the South Bronx community.
The refurbished leadership center included a computer lab and lounge with new computers, chairs, a workstation along with new floors, painted walls, brighter lighting and a water fountain on the first floor. The second floor consisted of a library, a studio with a new sound system, an upgraded bathroom and bigger work space for employees. Children who were part of the program received classic Rangers jerseys.
“For years WHEDCo’s Youth Leadership has served as a learning space for our programs participants, from 3-4 year olds in our Early Childhood Center, to adults who participate in Family Literacy,” said Davon Russell, president of WHEDco.
To the community who participate in these programs, Russell described that it’s “more than a learning space, [but] a safe haven” for high students and adult learners to “[defy] the odds of becoming better advocates for themselves and their families.”
Present at the ceremony were Hockey Hall of Fame member and NHL VP of Hockey Development and Community Affairs Pat LaFontaine, and fellow Rangers alumni Adam Graves, and Mike Richter. Graves and Richter were part of the 1994 Stanley Cup winning team and the trio played together as members of the Rangers during the 1997-98 season.
“The new Leadership Youth Center is giving the kids the opportunity to be kids with a space that is dedicated to them,” said LaFontaine, who was named one of NHL’s 100 Greatest Players of All Time.
“Every day going forward, you can look back and know that these teens and young boys and girls will have a special room that will put smiles on their faces and allow them to grow and perhaps one day create their own legacy. I can’t think of a better program to create a lasting impact that will live on long after the game is over. I think the game of hockey has always been this platform and vehicle to foster those values that we learned in the home whether it be leadership, teamwork, discipline, sacrifice, or humility.”
Richter, president of Brightzone Energy which contributed to the lighting at the Center was more than happy to join in with his former teammates on this project.
“It’s like being a particular part of any team,” Richter told NHL.com. “You’re a particular piece of the puzzle that makes the whole work. When kids are in a space that is clean, comfortable, safe environment, they will make the most out of their opportunities in sports and in life.”
Graves, a board member of the Garden of Dreams Foundation finds this Legacy Project humbling.
“There’s nothing more important than kids having an opportunity to smile and celebrate and have the support to excel and be the best they can be,” said Graves, who also co-founded the Smilezone Foundation. “This is a great platform to get the message out in the community and it’s a great privilege to be part of the legacy project with the National Hockey League and the Winter Classic. As much as the Winter Classic moves from city to city every year, the legacy project stay and have a lasting impact on the community.”
(Eagle News Service)
