The Nashville Predators have had success in the NHL and have built a dedicated fanbase, but you’re more likely to associate the city of Nashville with country music or football rather.
Jennifer Boniecki, the director of youth hockey and fan development for the Predators, is doing everything she can to change that through the team’s Get Out and Learn! (GOAL!) program at the Ford Ice Centers. One opportunity for boys and girls ages 4 to 9 years old came as part of USA Hockey’s Try Hockey for Free Day on February 22.
According to Boniecki, 27 kids took part in the program in coed and girls-only sessions.
“We try to host on all the national days as much as we can,” Boniecki said. “Try Hockey for Free has really been at the core of our development model for years.”
In the most recent sessions, youngsters did basic skating work, handled pucks and learned a bit about how to pass and shoot. They received as much one-on-one instruction as they needed.
“It kind of depends on the makeup of our groups,” Boniecki said. “We try to get them to at least go sideboard to sideboard. Typically, we try to run three stations.”
Boniecki is dedicated to getting as many youth players into the game as possible. She noted that Nashville has a growing girls hockey market and a good travel program in the Jr. Predators.
“We’re really trying to grow the base of girls hockey,” said Boniecki, who coaches the Jr. Predators 14U girls team. “We’ve got a lot of great partners in our community who are dedicated to growing the girls game, as well.”
Boniecki started with the Predators in 2019, two years after they made the Stanley Cup and a season after they won the President’s Trophy. Even without a recent deep run in the playoffs in Nashville, Boniecki’s seen the GOAL! program grow over the past six years.
While football is king in the fall and baseball in the spring in Tennessee, Boniecki is trying to persuade residents that hockey can be a year-round sport.
“It’s not just a winter season program,” she said. “We would encourage everybody to play all of those sports, but we can say, ‘Hey, you can still participate [in hockey].’”
She realizes that parents can be intimidated by hockey’s perceived cost, but Boniecki wants them to know that entry programs are often free or reasonably priced.
Boniecki pointed out that the Predators Learn to Play program, which includes equipment, is $285. She added that her parents would have happily paid that when she was a young hockey player growing up outside of Chicago.
“That’s an incredible deal,” she said. “You’re not going to find a pair of new hockey skates for that cost. Once we tap into [new markets], everybody gets really excited. They’re pretty much with us for their hockey journey.”
Though some who participated in the GOAL! program were the first in their families to try the sport, Boniecki noted that Nashville is a big transplant city that includes relocated hockey families.
It’s Boniecki’s hope that she can help provide a pathway to success for the young players. The idea is to prevent them from getting discouraged along the way and just have an enjoyable experience with the game while they develop.
“It’s intimidating to come into hockey and not know if you want to do it,” she said. “It is so unlike any other sport. You’ve got to come into an ice rink, put on skates, try it out for the first time. Even that skill set is completely different.
“We want to make it as easy to come into the rink and even test it out before we throw you into a program. And that’s OK if kids don’t like it. We at least want them to be able to try. We put a roadmap out there for parents to see exactly where their kids should be on the roadmap.”
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.
In recognition of Women’s History Month, USA Hockey will be celebrating the women across our game throughout the month of March. To learn more about Women’s History Month, visit Womenshistorymonth.gov
Source: usahockey.com