Coyotes Continue to Grow the Game at Boys + Girls Club

"You see these kids, and they're excited," Xavier Gutierrez said Tuesday while watching a Coyotes street hockey clinic at the Boys & Girls Club in Peoria as part of Hispanic Heritage Month.
"Hopefully we've exposed them to hockey and the wonderful sport that it is," he added.
Gutierrez felt good about the thought that each kid received a street hockey stick and a street hockey ball from the Coyotes hockey development team as part of the clinic, whose participants included youngsters grades 1-6 and ages 6-12.
The Coyotes' President and CEO considers the mementos seeds to cultivate a passion for hockey, specifically Coyotes hockey.

"I think it's very crucial to get out there very early in terms of their sports journey," Gutierrez said. "And for them to be a part of it, for us to say, 'The Coyotes are here, you are part of our pack, you are part of our fan base.' And not just for one afternoon, but for their life. We want to let them know this is fun, this is fast, this is furious, that it's a game of passion, and that they can enjoy it starting now."
Marcia Mintz, the CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley, said Tuesday's clinic was a first for many of the kids in Peoria.
"For so many of our kids, this is their first exposure to hockey," said Mintz. "They get to see it and feel it. It's different than watching the game because they get the sticks. They're understanding, they're interacting. And especially during this time of COVID-19, to see kids out there moving, being physical and playing the game, it means everything to them."

The Boys & Girls Clubs' mission is to enable young people to reach their full potential.
Addressing youthful potential can have a huge impact, Mintz said.
"What I like to say about the kids that we serve is that they have all the potential in the world, but they don't have the opportunity," Mintz said. "So, the fact that you give them the stick, you give them the ball, you give them drills to do and you show them that someone is paying attention to them, that can literally change the trajectory of their lives."
Mintz applauded the "tremendous" relationship the local Boys & Girls Clubs have had with the Coyotes through the years, also noting the financial support provided by the Arizona Coyotes Foundation and the Coyotes' volunteer efforts.

Added Mintz: "I know with Xavier's plans and his vision for building community partnerships, the Boys & Girls Clubs are only going to get more youth involved with hockey."
The smiles on the kids' faces were what stuck with Gutierrez as Tuesday's event wound down.
"For the kids to just have fun and to go home tonight and say, 'That was fun, I want to do that again, I want to play it, I want to watch it, I want to be involved with it,'" Gutierrez said. "When I look at these smiles and I see them running around, it really warms your heart to say, 'I think that they can be fans for life.'"

Photo Credit [All]: Arizona Coyotes