Laraque impressed with diverse group of youth players at Willie O'Ree Academy

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Georges Laraque surveyed the lobby of the Pittsburgh Penguins practice facility on Tuesday afternoon and smiled.

“I'm looking at this now, I can't believe how many young Black kids, diverse kids, girls, are here playing hockey,” Laraque, who was a forward for the Penguins for two seasons (2006-08) in his 12-year NHL career, said at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. “This shows you how much hockey has evolved.”

Laraque returned to Pittsburgh for the first time since 2008 to be a guest coach at the Willie O'Ree Academy, a five-year-old training and enrichment program established by the Penguins and presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods. It is for local youth hockey players ages 10-17 to help them advance their skills while developing a strong social support network.

Nearly 40 boys and girls were put through their paces on the ice by Laraque, who was joined by Penguins defenseman P.O Joseph and retired forward Colby Armstrong, who played three of his eight NHL seasons with Pittsburgh (2005-08).

“It’s really my honor to be with these guys,” Joseph said. “It's gratifying to see that hockey is going in the right direction and taking the steps towards having a more different culture in hockey, and [becoming] more accessible for everyone to be able to play a game.”

The academy is named in honor of O’Ree, who became the NHL’s first Black player when he debuted with the Boston Bruins against the Montreal Canadiens at the Montreal Forum on Jan. 18, 1958. The program provides players from the region training and support in a safe space with the hopes of allowing them to bond and develop into elite players capable of someday playing in college, juniors, or even the NHL.

It offers eight on- and off-ice training sessions from June to August at no cost, and players participate in educational and enrichment activities that include college and junior hockey discussions, sports nutrition and psychology workshops, and career talks.

Jaden Lindo, who oversees the program and was a sixth-round pick (No. 173) by the Penguins in the 2014 NHL Draft, said the presence of the three guest coaches shows how important the academy is for its players.

“Having people that look like them who play at the highest level on the ice with the kids … They always say, ‘If you can see it, you can be it,’” Lindo said. “It goes a long way, and it’s always nice to have the alumni players come back time after time.”

It had been almost four years since Joseph last skated with O’Ree academy players. He said he was amazed by how tall some have grown and how skilled they’ve become as players.

“The years go by quick, but you see the improvement of those guys and girls,” he said. “It’s a great, great thing.”

Martina Lucas, a 15-year-old center from Franklin, Pennsylvania, said it was great having Joseph, Laraque and Armstrong as instructors on Tuesday.

“When you’re coached by people who look like you, it just gives you more confidence, I guess,” Lucas said. “It was pretty cool because they talked to you and stuff, interacted and played games with us. They were nice, but they were pretty hard on us.”

Laraque said the academy is a successful example of the efforts by the NHL and the hockey community to lower obstacles and make the sport more accessible to all. Laraque is part of those efforts as a member of the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition, a group of current and former NHL players and women’s professional hockey players who are advisers and ambassadors in advancing inclusion across the hockey community.

“We’re seeing young kids, talented kids that are going on the ice with us,” said Laraque, who had 153 points (53 goals, 100 assists) in 695 games with the Penguins, Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers and Phoenix Coyotes. “They have their own gear and they’re skating with us. It shows how hockey has evolved and how minorities are getting more and more involved in hockey, which is amazing to see.”