Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/726594
38 / SEPTEMBER.OCTOBER.2016 RINKMAGAZINE.COM PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ST. LOUIS BLUES, SAN JOSE SHARKS, LOS ANGELES KINGS H ockey can be a hard sell. A kid may get a taste of it skating on a pond with friends or maybe at a Try Hockey For Free event at their local rink. But to try it once and then sign up for a full season of the sport is a commitment that involves time and equipment. The costs can quickly add up. Kevin Erlenbach, USA Hockey's Director of Membership Development, acknowledges the circumstances. At the 8U level, roughly 23 percent of kids who participate in a USA Hockey Try Hockey For Free Day at their local rink convert to playing for a community association. In a league-wide initiative, National Hockey League (NHL) and National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) are helping increase that percentage. All 30 clubs will host a Learn to Play program at rinks either in their respective cities, states or even neighboring states—all in the name of growing the game. "It's everything to us," Erlenbach said. "Everything we do is thanks to how they help us out. We're working together to make sure that the next generation keeps getting bigger and bigger. Right now in the United States youth hockey is growing. The stigmas have always been it's too much of a commitment and too expensive. With help from the NHLPA and the NHL, we're breaking down those barriers." The NHL's Grand Plan to Grow the Game The NHL and NHLPA's Learn to Play programs are helping grow the next generation of hockey players and fans REAL PROGRAMS NHL Learn to Play Programs by KELLY ERICKSON , The Lil' Kings have been a model program for other teams around the league.