The “St. Louis Blues 14 Fund Rink of Dreams” was unveiled at the Mathews-Dickey Boys’ and Girls’ Club in North St. Louis on Wednesday, June 4 thanks to the efforts of the St Louis Blues and Clayco.
Children of all ages sat quietly on the as-yet-unscuffed concrete rink, brand new hockey sticks in hand, surrounded by the people who all helped to create this space for them to use all year round.
“It’s a great day for hockey in St. Louis,” said Mike Claiborne, emcee of the event, as he introduced the people who made “my dream a reality.” He grew up only four blocks from the rink’s location, and this was a major factor in his dream of seeing a rink built for the children of the community to use.
“We played on the street, behind service stations, denting all the cars,” he said.
The ceremony was not only an unveiling for the rink, but also the first day of the Mathews-Dickey street hockey program. This will be a two-week rules-and-skills camp for local children to master the basics of the game.
“When we used to come and set up street hockey games for the children of Mathews-Dickey, the kids would all be saying, ‘Come back soon!’” said Tom Stillman, Blues owner. “Well, now we’re back for good.”
Stillman’s co-owner, David Steward, founder and chairman of World Wide Technology, was represented at the unveiling by Ann Marr, vice president of human resources for WWT.
The St. Louis Blues 14 Fund was established in 1998 to honor player number 14, Doug Wickenheiser, who passed away in 1999 after a long battle with cancer. The fund’s mission is to positively impact programs and services that improve health and wellness of youth in the St. Louis area. Through the fund, the Blues donated hockey sticks, padding, goals and barriers to the rink, as well as a monetary contribution.
Clayco donated building materials, tools and manpower to the project.
The Blues have another motive for the establishment of a rink for children, as they hope to sow the seeds for future sporting success. Far fewer African-American children play hockey than their white counterparts, and with the building of this rink there is the hope that black children will come to love and excel in the game. Perhaps a future St. Louis Blues star sat cross-legged on the concrete at Mathews-Dickey.
“If nothing else, I bet this will lead to some hockey scholarships coming out of North St. Louis,” Claiborne told The American.
Martin Mathews, cofounder and president of the club, spoke with an American flag button pinned to his lapel.
“If you’re an American, you can witness almost anything,” he said. “I saw the Blues and their president building a rink together, here in North St. Louis. We’re not going to sing the blues, we’re going to dance to the Blues today.”
