Pirates Promote "Hockey Is For Everyone"

Published on February 6, 2004 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Portland Pirates News Release


PORTLAND, ME – The Portland Pirates are joining with the National Hockey League to promote its annual diversity program, "Hockey Is For Everyone", during the month of February. The program is part of NHL Diversity, a not-for-profit program designed to introduce children of diverse ethnic backgrounds to the game of hockey. Throughout the month, the Pirates will undertake several initiatives in-game and in the community.

"The City of Portland has the most diverse population in the state of Maine," said Brian Petrovek, Pirates' Managing Owner/CEO. "As an important part of the community, we feel a strong obligation to grow the game of hockey by introducing it to as many people in our community as we can. The ‘Hockey Is For Everyone' program gives us yet another platform to do just that."

Central to the Pirates' efforts will be a visit to the King Middle School in Portland on Tuesday, February 24th. The Pirates have several players with Slovakian and French Canadian heritage, and those players will speak to students at the school for whom English is a second language about their experiences living in a foreign country and the challenges they have faced in adapting to a new culture. French-Canadian players for the Portland Junior Pirates will also take part in the program which will run from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.

The Pirates are also sponsoring an open skate at Portland Ice Arena in Portland on Thursday, February 19th from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Children and their parents who are new to hockey or experienced skaters are invited to skate with one another at PIA free of charge. Skate rentals are available for $1.

In addition, the Pirates will run public service messages on the public address system and message center during all home games in February. They will also run a public service announcement during all games broadcast on the Pirates' Radio Network during the month. They will include information on the program in their game day insert, Pieces of Eight, and a link on their official web site, portlandpirates.com, to the NHL's "Hockey Is For Everyone" section of their web site, nhl.com.

The Pirates endeavors on behalf of "Hockey Is For Everyone" are done under the auspices of the Portland Pirates Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) Maine public charitable organization and the philanthropic arm of the Portland Pirates.

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American Hockey League Stories from February 6, 2004


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