The NHL Foundation Relaunch Includes Funding To Grow Girls Hockey

The NHL’s charitable arm, the NHL Foundation, has redefined its focus.

“For over 30 years, the NHL Foundation operated under what I call traditional sports philanthropy,” said Rob Wooley, the foundation’s executive director. “Giving broadly and generously, but really without a cohesive strategy. Now we’re intentional. Every dollar that we invest is tied to a goal, an outcome and a purpose.

“For us moving forward, this is really about making philanthropy an investment, not just a gift. It’s about focusing on initiatives that align with our values, drive measurable results and hopefully leave a legacy.”

With NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly serving as the NHL Foundation’s director and chairman, the relaunch was announced in mid-November with a focus on five key pillars: youth development, health and well-being, social equity, pathways to hockey, and service.

“Our mission is to really create lasting change through targeted investments in areas that matter most to us,” Wooley said.

The foundation operates under separate arms in the U.S. (NHL Foundation U.S. Inc.) and Canada (NHL Foundation Canada). New boards of directors have been appointed for both foundations, including league executives and external industry leaders. In Canada, that list includes former prime minister Stephen Harper, whose life-long love for the sport includes authorship of the 2013 book ‘A Great Game: The Forgotten Leafs and the Rise of Professional Hockey.’

In the U.S., USA Hockey women’s national team head scout and 2018 Olympic gold medalist Haley Skarupa is serving as an ambassador for the foundation.

“I think the most important part about being a national team athlete or former professional player is giving back and making sure you’re helping that next generation find their way, getting them as many opportunities as possible,” Skarupa said. “When Rob came to me with his ideas and the mission with the NHL Foundation, what he wanted to do, I was on board right away.”

Growing up in Rockville, Maryland, Skarupa followed her older brother into the sport and played on boys’ teams until her early teens. Her passion for hockey was boosted further by Alex Ovechkin’s arrival to the Washington Capitals in 2005, and she eventually parlayed her spot on a girls travel team into a chance to play at Boston College and on Team USA.

“I was lucky,” she said. “I was able to stay home and still play competitive hockey. I knew there would be challenges — a lot of driving, a lot of traveling in general. Missing school because we had to go to Massachusetts, Minnesota, just all over North America to get those good games.”

Now, in her ambassador role, she’s leading efforts to help make that path smoother for today’s generation of girls hockey players.

One key project is overseeing the first-ever award of the foundation’s new Empowerment Grant Program for Girls Hockey along with Kim Davis, the NHL’s senior vice president of social impact, growth initiatives and legislative affairs as well as president of the NHL Foundations in both the U.S. and Canada.

Some of the seed money for the empowerment grant program came from the 14th edition of the Congressional Hockey Challenge last March. The annual charity game, played at the Capitals’ practice facility in Arlington, VA, sees federal lawmakers, congressional staff and administration officials face off against an array of lobbyists, and has raised over $1 million since its inception.

“I’ve been a part of the Congressional Hockey Challenge for a couple years in DC,” Skarupa said. “So it was really special that they were giving back to us this year.”

Since March, the NHL Foundation has continued to raise funds and awareness for the grant program. The first recipient will be announced at a luncheon during the NHL’s Stadium Series event at Ohio State University in February of 2025.

“Haley’s the chief advisor to that grant,” Wooley said. “To make sure that we are finding the best-in-class nonprofit organizations that are serving this particular space in terms of providing opportunities for girls to play hockey.”

“It’s been a cool process, for sure,” said Skarupa. “I’m excited for us to unveil who that will be and how they’re going to utilize that grant.”

The $75,0oo donation from the Congressional Hockey Challenge was presented during a special screening of ‘Inside Out 2’ for more than 100 girls hockey players in New York City in June.

Skarupa is also in Pittsburgh this week to assist with a girls hockey clinic as part of the programming around her Olympic teammate Brianna Decker’s induction into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame on Dec. 4.

The revamped NHL Foundation also now includes a fundraising component, which hadn’t existed previously. This will be on display at the league’s upcoming tentpole events this season.

“The Winter Classic, Stadium Series, our upcoming 4 Nations Face-off in Montreal and in Boston — these are opportunities to showcase this new direction and amplify our fundraising efforts,” Wooley said. “So for us, these aren’t just events. They’re platforms for change.

“At the Winter Classic, there will be a fundraiser. At Stadium Series, where we will be announcing our girls hockey grantee, we will certainly be raising money to continue to support our girls hockey grant. And then in Boston, during 4 Nations Face-Off, we are we plan to host a fundraiser up there as well.

“That’s a new space for the NHL Foundation. It’s a space that we’re really excited about because it gets us out into the community. It brings us more of a public-facing entity, where we can connect with our fans and our players and our clubs.”