Bedard helps NHL, Blackhawks open ball hockey rink as legacy to Winter Classic

CHICAGO -- Children at the True Value Boys & Girls Club swarmed around Connor Bedard, enjoying a game of ball hockey on a chilly day with the Chicago Blackhawks’ star center.

“Yeah, guys are locking me up and stuff like that,” the No. 1 pick of the 2023 NHL Draft said Monday of the Blackhawks joining the NHL, the local Boys & Girls Club and Spry Community School to open a new ball hockey rink as a legacy to the Discover NHL Winter Classic.

“It’s a lot of fun and seeing the smiles on their faces and how much they’re enjoying it and learning the game,” Bedard said. “It’s great.”

The Legacy initiative is a continuing philanthropic endeavor through which the NHL and the local team (this season the Blackhawks) support community organizations in the host city of an NHL event.

Since having its first Legacy event in 2003, the League, its clubs and partners have donated more than $8 million to communities across North America. Legacy projects have aided thousands of hospital patients in recovery, helped at-risk youth and families gain better access to educational and vocational training, and provided greater access to people of all ages to learn and play hockey.

The Chicago legacy announcement was made the same day the NHL mobile refrigeration truck arrived at Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, where the Blackhawks will play the St. Louis Blues at the Winter Classic on Dec. 31 (5 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS).

More than 100 students were at the Boys & Girls Club to see the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the new ball hockey rink. Then they got a chance to play a little ball hockey, including some games with Bedard as a “teammate.”

“The Blackhawks and the Wirtz family have had long ties to the west side [of Chicago]. We work here, we play games here, we also have a lot of employees and their families that live here, including part of our ownership,” Blackhawks president of business operations Jaime Faulkner said. “So, it means a lot to be invested here and to see these projects come to life from our partnerships is awesome.”

The True Value Boys & Girls club is in Little Village, approximately six miles southwest of downtown Chicago. The ball hockey rink was built at a completely renovated outdoor courtyard between the club and the Spry Community School.

“We’ve seen firsthand the absolute incredible things that can happen when a community comes together and commits to ensuring bright futures for all of our kids,” Holly Allen, chief advancement officer at Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago, said.

“Over the years the Blackhawks have enriched the lives of our club members, really, in countless ways, from unforgettable moments like trips to Blackhawks games or once-in-a-lifetime experiences to these really critical investments in our sports, fitness and academic programming. They really, really continue to show up for our kids.”

Faulkner said the all-weather rink will be available for year-round use.

“Grab a basketball, grab a stick, grab a soccer ball or just play tag,” she said. “You can do whatever you want.”

In addition to the court, the renovation features new landscaping and a new mural that was designed and painted by Sentrock (aka Joseph Perez), a self-taught street artist from Chicago.

The mural, which spans the Boys & Girls Club back wall, depicts the vibrancy of Chicago communities, featuring girls and boys wearing Blackhawks-inspired jerseys and playing hockey outdoors.

“I mean, it’s just stunning,” Allen said. “And it serves [as a tribute] to the partnership we’ve been fortunate to share with the Blackhawks Foundation and really a tribute to the vibrancy of our Little Village community.”

The League and Chicago Blackhawks also gifted 200 free tickets to community organizations across Chicago to attend the Winter Classic game at Wrigley on New Year’s Eve.

Tickets were gifted to the Boys & Girls Club of Chicago as well as Chicago Blind Hockey, Chicago Gay Hockey Association, Girls in the Game, Puerto Rican Ice Hockey Association, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab Sled Hockey, Chicago Storm Special Hockey, and Chicago Warriors Hockey.

The Winter Classic is still more than two weeks away, but for those at the ball hockey rink ceremony on the southwest side of Chicago on Monday, outdoor hockey came early.

“Yeah, it’s a lot of fun. I remember coming here last year and seeing them, their excitement toward hockey and this is where we want to grow the game,” Bedard said. “For them to get this court here is really nice and they’re having a lot of fun, so that’s what it’s all about.”