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Whether or not we need to admit it or not, the NHL has a severe situation with regards to displaying variety. There are solely 34 energetic Black hockey gamers in a league that’s been round for 105 years and nonetheless sees white gamers occupying staff rosters at 97%.
Tennessee State College is making one small step in the direction of considerably altering these stats by saying their Tigers will probably be welcoming ice hockey to its athletic program in 2024. It marks the primary time {that a} HBCU will introduce faculty hockey at its college.
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Just some hours forward of the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville yesterday (June 28), TSU Athletic Director Dr. Mikki Allen made the official announcement {that a} males’s membership hockey staff will kick issues off for the 2024-25 season. As soon as they’re established, plans for a ladies’s division will go into movement, along with reaching NCAA Division I standing by 2026-27.
Extra on how the street in the direction of placing the Tigers on ice got here collectively beneath, through The Tennessean:
“The trail towards Wednesday’s ground-breaking announcement spans two years. In Might 2021, TSU introduced a feasibility research, which the Predators financed, to discover prices, necessities and native curiosity in hockey on the HBCU campus. By February 2022, TSU and the Predators collectively introduced a fundraising campaigned titled the, ‘TSU Pals of Hockey Fundraising Group.’
The fundraiser was put in to assist student-athlete scholarships, an on-campus venue, in addition to journey and gear. Allen mentioned in February that the on-campus venue would retailer not less than one sheet of ice. Allen elected to not disclose a fundraising determine on the time.”
This system nonetheless wants a Director of Membership Hockey Operations to deal with day-to-day oversight, which will probably be spearheaded by TSU assistant athletics director Nick Guerriero within the meantime. “This partnership serves as a catalyst, driving change and making certain that the sport we love embraces the fantastic thing about variety,” Allen mentioned in a press release, and we couldn’t agree extra.
Black ice isn’t wanting so dangerous in any case.
