DENVER (CBS4) – As the Colorado Avalanche battled to secure their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals in game four of the conference finals, thousands of Avs fans packed Ball Arena to watch a party. With every $10 ticket, kids in the Denver metro area were promised the opportunity to learn the game of hockey through after-school programs.
Kroenke Sports Charities, a branch of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment that owns the Avalanche, helps expose Colorado kids to different sports. Regardless of your skills or your ZIP code, KSC donates money to children through nonprofit organizations based in Colorado. The organization has also helped communities during times of crisis like the Marshall Fire.
(credit: CBS)
One organization KSC helps fund is the Denver Prep League, a group that helps introduce Denver Public Schools students to hockey. High school students from across DPS can learn the game through floor hockey. Floor hockey removes the barrier of needing access to the ice and instead gives youth the opportunity to play on any surface with sticks, uniforms and goals.
“There was no floor hockey in middle school (before). So Kroenke Sports donated sticks and equipment and created a real program for all of us,” said Sam Beardshear, a senior on the East High School hockey team.
Beardshear and teammate Nick Chadd were among the first in DPS to start playing hockey through the Denver Prep League. Now, they play for the Denver East ice hockey team, which recently won the state championship.
Both said they were impressed to see how many kids found a love of hockey thanks to KSC and DPL.
“They literally ranged from people who had never touched the ice, had never held a stick to a couple of people who played in the gym. But above all, it was anyone who wanted to play,” said Beardshear.
(credit: CBS)
“Because floor hockey is such an accessible hockey sport, because you can pick it up and play anywhere, it was definitely beneficial,” Chadd said.
KSC Executive Director Deb Dowling told CBS4’s Dillon Thomas that the organization’s long-standing effort to expose kids to sports is evident through the success of shows like the Denver Prep League.
“It is our privilege and our obligation to be good neighbors and use our platform to help people,” Dowling said. “DPS kids were learning about the sport, they fell in love with the sport and then they graduated through racing and became hockey players.”
Dowling said that by funding programs that get kids involved in sports, KSC also plays a role in ensuring kids stay in school and prioritize their grades so they can stay on teams.
The team shared that they raised over $117,000 for KSE Charities.
Our watch parties here at home have been amazing and thanks to our attendees we have been able to donate over $117,000 to @KSE_Charities ❤️💙#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/7bDTFUpOwu
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) June 7, 2022
“We want to give students the opportunity to learn about all sports,” Dowling said. “It’s really important for us to be able to provide the experience for kids to learn about hockey.”
“(I just want to share) a big thank you. Because it really provides accessibility for people who don’t play the sport and don’t have access to ice hockey to stay involved and play the game that we all love,” Chadd said.
Reference-denver.cbslocal.com