The director of an influential college hockey organization indicated that it plans to work with the NHL to introduce the sport at HBCUs.
Mike Snee, the director of College Hockey Inc., explained Friday during a press conference at the Frozen Four in Tampa, Florida, that there is a desire to expand the sport at the collegiate level, and HBCUs would be a target.
“It would mean not just a lot for college hockey, but for the sport of hockey,” Snee said in response to a question about what it would mean if HBCUs were involved in hockey.”
Currently, none of the 109 HBCUs across America offer organized hockey to any degree.
One HBCU, Tennessee State, announced in 2021 it would conduct a feasibility study to determine whether the school could start a Division I hockey program.
Tennessee State already has established a relationship with the Nashville Predators through a “$1 million in 1 month” fundraising scholarship campaign for Tennessee State students.
“The idea of establishing a collegiate hockey program at TSU is a tremendous opportunity as the nation’s first HBCU to take on this endeavor,” TSU President Glenda Glover said then. “This allows us to expand the sport, increase diversity, and introduce a new fan base.”
Last February, Tennessee State athletics director Mikki Allen and Predators president and CEO Sean Henry announced a fundraising campaign to launch men’s and women’s hockey programs.
The funding will go toward scholarships, an on-campus venue, equipment, travel and other expenses. The school, however, has not publicly disclosed a dollar figure needed to support hockey or a timeline for when the program would start.
Though ambitious, Snee said College Hockey Inc. wants to be “more deliberate” in creating a pathway for hockey to be a reality at Black colleges.
“We’re working with the NHL to expand what college hockey does, and part of that would be even more deliberate with the 109 HBCUs,” he said. “Even if it’s club hockey, not NCAA hockey, but just club hockey.
“Because if we just can get hockey there, that’s a great thing. And then we have something that we can try to continue to elevate. So whether or not Tennessee State happens, it’s a project we’re still working on.”
Despite present challenges with funding and facilities, Snee expressed that the pursuit is worth the work such an effort would entail making the game accessible.
“If we could find four HBCUs to just even offer club hockey and have an HBCU Beanpot every year … and we’re working on it, and we hope that we’re going to be able to work on it even more in the future,” said Snee.”
