ST PAUL, Minn. — The NHL's initiative "Hockey is for Everyone" is growing.
A visit from the Boys and Girls Club of the Twin Cities to TRIA Rink for Wild University for career exploration brings the statement to life.
“It was nice, really liked it," Central High School senior Dalani Edwards said. "Getting to see the other sides of hockey instead of just what you see on TV.”
For Edwards, inspiration was sparked.
“Really inspiring, actually. I've been looking at the high-position jobs and not seeing representation out there," Edwards said. "Now that I'm seeing, like, the behind-the-scenes and everything, we're actually out there. That's really nice to see.”
Wild team physicians, Dr. Joel Boyd and Dr. David Hamlar led the discussion and tour of the facilities.
“Always extremely happy to speak with young people and this room was great," Dr. Boyd said. "It was multicultural, young men and young women.”
These doctors are kind of a big deal.
Dr. Boyd grew up in Washington D.C.
“When the Washington Capitals came to town, Mike Marson was the second African American hockey player in the league, was playing and really piqued my interest in the game of hockey,” Dr. Boyd said.
Dr. Boyd became the first Black team physician in NHL history in 2000 with the Wild, specializing in orthopedics.
“Certainly a milestone that I'm proud of that that I was able to achieve," Dr. Boyd said. "Certainly, we all have allies in this. Someone recognized or took me at the value of my education and my experience and what I've been involved in. I also spent some time with USA Hockey and their national team. They said, this person is qualified.”
Dr. Hamler joined Dr. Boyd in 2004.
“From top down, I became associated with the Minnesota Wild as sort of the cut guy," Dr. Hamlar said. "I’m a facial plastic surgeon so when people have lacerations and plus I do jaw fractures. Very few of those in hockey.”
Dr. Hamler, an Ohio native, is now all about the state of hockey.
“It does give you a little bit of cred in this community," Dr. Hamlar said. "Here I am, I've done other things in life. I've been successful. I have my bag that says Minnesota. That's the first thing that people connect with.”
Even though Dr. Boyd played football in college, a trip to Canada for medical school allowed him to become immersed in the game of hockey. He’s made it his mission to educate, from what he's learned over the years.
“I think the thing that I enjoy probably the most is actually bringing the story to other minorities, because they don't know," Dr. Boyd said. "You walk into a community almost anywhere now and say, 'Oh, you know, there's a rich history of Black hockey players.' They're just like, 'What are you talking about? That's not real.' Like no, there is.”
Reggie: The phrase “Hockey Is For Everyone” is something that I learned a couple years ago when I got here. Is that something that you all, you both truly believe?
”I truly believe it is," Dr. Boyd said. "There’s so many jobs affiliated with a hockey team. If that’s your passion, there’s a place for you.”
Representation matters, and these doctors are representing well.
“Seeing that two African American doctors in the hockey field is like, we’ve gotten really far in life," Edwards said. "It’s nice to see that we can do anything we put our minds to.”
Watch more coverage of Minnesota sports:
Watch the latest reports from the KARE 11 sports team in our YouTube playlist:
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.