Nick Bjugstad of the Arizona Coyotes plays street hockey with local youth at the Irene Lopez Academy of the Arts as part of an innovative partnership between the Coyotes and value-based care leader Equality Health to bring access and inclusivity to the sport of hockey and improve health and well-being, especially among Hispanic youth and underserved communities in Phoenix. The Coyotes Street Hockey League is a Phoenix metro-wide hockey league designed to give kids an easier entry point into hockey. The 10-week program currently running in Gilbert, AZ, will be launched in Scottsdale and other Phoenix metro cities beginning this season. As part of the program, Equality Health and the Coyotes will help schools organize street hockey leagues and provide schools with rinks, apparel, equipment, sticks, hockey balls, and promotional items for giveaways.
The Coyotes “Raise the Pack Physical Education Curriculum” program sponsored by Equality Health will hold clinics during physical education classes at schools across the metro from August through May. The goal is to educate over 10,000 students about hockey and provide them with an opportunity to play a new sport.
The Coyotes and Equality Health Foundation will also introduce the “Equality Health Champions” recognition program this year. Four different “playmakers” in the local community will be identified, highlighted, and recognized for advancing health and well-being in diverse, underserved communities throughout the Coyotes 2023-24 regular season during the games at Mullett Arena.
Healthy communities begin with social connections and an active lifestyle. That is why this partnership hopes to bring access and inclusivity to the sport of hockey but also leverage the love of the sport to improve health and well-being, especially among Hispanic youth and underserved communities in Arizona.
