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borhood and Washington, D.C., but thanks to recent efforts from the NHL and USA Hockey, there is a growing emphasis on opening the game up to people of color. In Flint, Mich., where he has been intro- ducing young players of color to the game for more than a decade, Rico Phillips knows those opportunities are long overdue. "Over my years of playing and officiating I saw very little diversity. And that made me want to start a hockey program in the inner city," said the Flint native who was honored with the Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award in 2019. "I just wanted people to understand that hockey is a lot of fun and they should join the fun with us." The first step comes with creating an environment where everyone feels welcome. That starts with ridding the game of racist and hurtful language and actions. From there it's about creating opportunities for more young players of color to excel in the game. It's something O'Ree has spent a lifetime working toward, starting with breaking the color barrier as the first black hockey player in the NHL and later as an ambassador for the game. O'Ree believes the most impactful change will likely come as more black players and players of color get the opportunity to move into more prominent positions within the game itself. "There's room there for coaches, managers, linesmen, referees. Just set your goal and work towards it," O'Ree says as part of his message to young boys and girls he meets around the country. "Those players of color are there because they have the skills and abilities to be there. If they didn't have the skills they wouldn't be there. They just want to be accepted as another player and this is the way I think it should be." P OCTOBER 2020 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 29 U.S. Olympians Kendall Coyne Schofield and AJ Mleczko continue to blaze new trails in hockey. All around the country, more young boys and girls of color are finding a home on the ice through a growing number of diversity programs. TC S H O C K E Y. C O M YO U T H & A D U L T I C E H O C K E Y T O U R N A M E N T S