Ice Hockey in Harlem began in the winter of 1987 with forty eager participants ranging in age from 9-12. All participants agreed to attend weekly classroom sessions and skate one night a week. In class, these IHIH pioneers were taught math, reading, and geography using hockey cities and statistics as teaching tools.
With a cursory knowledge of the basics, the youngsters donned mismatched, secondhand equipment and wobbled onto the ice of Lasker Rink, an outdoor facility at the northern end of Central Park. Under the tutelage of founder's Dave Wilk, Todd Levy and former New York Ranger Pat Hickey and other volunteers, the students were soon skating, shooting, and passing as though they had been playing the game for years. After that rookie season, the program managed to raise enough money to send one player to a summer hockey camp in California.
Today, with our comprehensive programs serving more youth that ever before, our mission remains constant:
EDUCATION IS THE GOAL!