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REAL PROGRAMS NHL Learn to Play It's been a great tie and bridge and the alumni support is critical to the support of the program." The Dallas Stars Xtreme Team—which leads other Dallas Stars camps sand clinics—can't be at every participating rink the entire time, but will spend time at each location. From its first stop last year at Hirsch Memorial Coliseum in Shreveport, La., to 11 other stops in West Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana, the team witnessed a growing passion for the sport. Jointly, with the NHL, the Dallas Stars Learn to Play Program not only grew its own Dallas Stars hockey community, but also instilled a love for the game across the Southwest. "We schedule a visit at some point in time from the Dallas Stars and our Xtreme team or our professional instructional staff," Mullins said. "We'll show up and bring merchandise for the kids. They are immediately taken to the logo and the association to the NHL and being tied to the No. 1 representative of our sport in the world. It's attracted people to come and see and check this out." 'The lifeline of your business' As kids get their first taste of hockey, the rinks involved in the program quickly become a familiar place for the new skaters. Participants often return to the rink for other events and activities, such as public skating or joining youth leagues. "Once these kids have the equipment from skates to a helmet, the customer retention possibilities are numerous, which then creates the lifeline of your business," Mullins said. "Just from the Learn to Play Program alone, one of the facilities in Houston, which never had more than one 8 & Under hockey team—this year had four. The program builds hockey for life." Thanks to the support of the NHL, NHLPA and the Industry Growth Fund, there's no cost to the building to operate the program. Mullins is looking forward to expanding the Dallas Stars Learn to Play Programs into additional rinks. As he helps lead the charge to get more kids and families involved in the sport, he also can't help but smile when he gets to welcome another fan. "It's kind of fun, for instance when we go to places like Tulsa, Oklahoma," Mullins said. "It's really four or five hours from us and it's in our TV market. For whatever reason, a lot of people are Blackhawks fans. But because of this program, now we have a bunch of kids wearing Dallas Stars things. Those types of things really make it worth it for us and put smiles on our faces." J 44 / NOVEMBER.DECEMBER.2017 USICERINKS.COM