History
Ice Hockey in Harlem began in the winter of 1987 with forty eager participants ranging in age from 9-12. All participants agreed to attend weekly classroom sessions and skate one night a week. In class, these IHIH pioneers were taught math, reading, and geography using hockey cities and statistics as teaching tools. With a cursory knowledge of the basics, the youngsters donned mismatched, secondhand equipment and wobbled onto the ice of Lasker Rink, an outdoor facility at the northern end of Central Park. Under the tutelage of founder Dave Wilk, former New York Ranger Pat Hickey and other volunteers, the students were soon skating, shooting, and passing as though they had been playing the game for years. After that rookie season, the program managed to raise enough money to send one player to a summer hockey camp in California.
Specialties
Ice Hockey in Harlem's mission is to improve the social and academic well being of children from the Harlem community. Our organization offers programming that allows children in our community to take advantage of the educational and athletic opportunities provided by youth sports. Through participation in ice hockey, IHIH student-athletes learn the fundamentals of the game, engage in an active lifestyle and broaden their life experiences. This mission has been in place since 1987. And continues through today.