July 1, 2007

By MATT TUNSETH/ Frontiersman

WASILLA - Willie O'Ree's 49-year quest to bring new faces to the game he loves brought him to the 49th state this week for a unique hockey camp organizers believe could become a centerpiece of the sport's diversity movement. In 1958, O'Ree became the first black player to skate in the National Hockey League, eventually playing in 48 games over two seasons for the Boston Bruins. Today, he's director of the NHL/USA Hockey Diversity Task Force, whose goal is to break down social and economic barriers that stand in the way of young people playing hockey.

As part of that mission, O'Ree and former NHL Rookie of the Year Henry Boucha (a full-blooded Ojibwa Chippewa) helped found a hockey camp in Wasilla whose goal is to expose Alaskans from all walks of life to the game of hockey.

O'Ree said Friday that the idea behind the camp is to get kids to understand that barriers between races and classes are meaningless out on the ice.

“There's just one common goal,” he said. “To play together and have fun.”

The five-day camp included campers of various ethnicities, ability levels and economic backgrounds. Among those in attendance were Alaska Natives, Hispanics, Asians, African-Americans, Caucasians and members of Wasilla's sizable Russian-American population.

Because of a grant provided by the Mat-Su Health Foundation, as well as support from the NHL, USA Hockey and numerous local businesses, the camp was able to provide gear to any camper that needed it. This enabled newcomers to hockey to receive top-level coaching and an introduction to the sport at a fraction of the cost of buying new gear.

“We're trying to encourage more boys and girls to get into the game of hockey regardless of whether they can afford it,” O'Ree said.

Among the coaching staff who helped out with the camp included former professional hockey player and NCAA standout Steve MacSwain; Alaska Aces forward Kimbi Daniels; former University of Minnesota goalie Scott Johnson; and current Warroad, Minn., High School coach Tim Oshie.

While other hockey camps typically focus on round-the-clock drills and workouts, the O'Ree/Boucha camp stressed more than just hockey. While there was plenty of on-ice instruction, campers were also exposed to golf outings, river rafting, glacier tours and music classes.

The idea, according to camp director Dick Harren, is to use hockey as part of an overall program to expose kids to new and different things. And because the Mat-Su Valley is located close to a big city - Anchorage - as well as mountains, rivers and rural areas, Wasilla is the ideal location for such a camp.

“The potential here is just amazing,” he said.

Taking a break from singing karaoke Friday, campers said they think the event's unique approach is a hit.

“It's awesome,” said camper Chance Morrison.

Discussing which song to try next with fellow campers Jorie Reed-Lovett, Ivan Natekin, Layne Morrison and Dakota McClure, Chance said the camp really only had one drawback.

“Getting up so early,” he said.

This year marked the third year of the diversity camp, and this year attracted more than 50 participants. That number has risen each year, and O'Ree said he believes it could become much higher in years to come.

“We want to expand this,” he said.

Will McCants is president of the Detroit Hockey Association, which strives to get inner-city youth involved in hockey. McCants participated as a coach at this year's O'Ree/Boucha camp, and said the potential for expansion is enormous.

McCants said he believes that in the future, the camp can attract inner-city youth to Alaska as a way for city kids to experience life in the Last Frontier.

“I think that in the future, Wasilla will have the opportunity to host something that will be great for kids,” he said. “It's going to be huge.”

He agreed that the city's unique location, as well as its large Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Facility, make the area a perfect place to host a summertime hockey camp.

“I'm going to try to get more inner-city kids here to Alaska,” he said.

McCants said he was blown away by Alaska from the moment he stepped off the plane, and said he wants the players he works with in Detroit to have the same opportunity.

“Everything I've experienced here has just been wonderful,” he said.

In addition to exposing urban youth to Alaska, McCants said that the camp could also expose rural Alaskans to a way of life they're not familiar with.

“It also gives kids up here an opportunity to meet them, and for (city kids) to experience life in Alaska,” he said.

McCants said he believes the camp could someday become a model for camps nationwide.

“I truly believe it will become one of the best camps offered in the world,” McCants said.

Willie O'Ree said that if the Wasilla camp can continue to grow, there's no reason it can't reach the goal of becoming a centerpiece of the diversity movement in hockey.

“It's been growing every year,” he said. “We want to continue to expand on this as much as we can.”

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com