Hockey continues to grow, but it's not always accessible. Andrew Ference and NHL Street seek to bring the sport to more kids with street hockey.

In many parts of North America, seeing youth in driveways, parking lots and on neighborhood roads playing street hockey is a normal occurrence. It’s an affordable, fun, accessible way to play the game. That’s why the NHL is launching NHL Street this summer, looking to spread a love for hockey through a low-barrier, inclusive program.

According to former NHLer and the league’s current director of social impact, growth and fan development, Andrew Ference, the program began by looking at barriers to entering hockey and finding ways to remove those restrictions and create an environment where newcomers to the sport can enjoy the game.

“We started listing down some of the impediments to joining hockey,” said Ference. “Obviously, some of the more known ones: access to a hockey rink itself is tough in some communities, especially in some of the markets we’re excited to get into, cost is an issue. Then you get into things like the scheduling and commitment; some parents aren’t able to juggle schedules and commit to timing of traditional hockey programs.”

Ference spent 16 seasons in the NHL, captaining the Edmonton Oilers and winning a Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins. He was 16 when he moved away from his home in Sherwood Park, Alta., to pursue hockey as a career. But he noted that in some communities, hockey has never been part of the culture and is potentially not offered at the youth level, or there is no family connection to the game. 

Through the launch of NHL Street, Ference hopes to create a safe and inviting space where anyone who shows up, aged six to 16, can participate, no matter what.

“The priority is just to have a kid walk away from one of our programs and say, ’that was awesome, I can’t wait until next week, that was fun, I had a great time with my friends.’ ” - Andrew Ference

To support the success of the program, the NHL is partnering with RCX Sports, who runs similar programs like NFL Flag, Jr. NBA Leagues and MLB Pitch, Hit & Run in communities across North America.

“Our mission is to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of sports by creating opportunities for all athletes to play,” said RCX Sports CEO Izell Reese in an RCX press release. “NHL Street will help alleviate many of the traditional barriers that youth hockey athletes face and allow them to experience the excitement and benefits of the sport first-hand.”

The first cities to see NHL Street programming launched this summer are Boston, Edmonton, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Winnipeg, Vancouver and Austin, Texas. Ference also said locations like New Mexico and the Maritimes, which fall outside of NHL cities, are future targets.

“There will be that real intentional pursuit by us to go to places we haven’t been before,” said Ference. “A huge component of (NHL) Street is getting outside of our club boundaries.”

When NHL Street arrives, youth will receive freshly designed, unique jerseys, and equipment will be provided through a partnership with Franklin. Ference also expects the environment to be fun, with music and snacks for youth. 

While Ference and the NHL hope to grow new groups of fans, which could result in some participants entering traditional hockey programs, the main goal of NHL Street is fun.

“It’s not about skill development or making the next Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews, that wasn’t the priority,” said Ference. “The priority is just to have a kid walk away from one of our programs and say, ’that was awesome, I can’t wait until next week, that was fun, I had a great time with my friends.”

“What experience do kids want, what experience do families want?” Ference continued. “We wanted to move away from having the priority of transitioning kids to ice, or developing skills or teaching tactics and really getting back to the basics of ‘let's just create the most fun environment we can.’ ”

To achieve that, the gameplay will feature fewer rules and a smaller surface to ensure youth remain in the play, mimicking street hockey played in traditional hockey markets across North America. As Ference said, NHL Street is making every effort to appeal to everyone and “maximize creativity, fun and action for the kids involved.”

Eventually, Ference is confident NHL Street will translate into new fans of the league and sport and new participants in ice hockey. But for now, the focus remains clear - remove barriers, bring hockey to communities where it isn’t traditionally played or accessible, and provide a safe, fun environment for kids.

“Everyone likes fun, everyone likes a great experience,” said Ference, “And that will happen if we can get kids there.”