Howe charity gets behind girls hockey in Philadelphia

When Snider Hockey was just getting started in the mid-2000s, someone asked Jim Britt a question that made his jaw drop.

“An administrator asked me, ‘What are the girls going to do while the boys are playing hockey?’” Britt recalled.

The Philadelphia-based organization named after late Flyers owner Ed Snider now has more than 3,000 kids in its program and almost a third of them are girls. Snider Hockey officials want to get to a point that boys and girls are split 50-50 and they’re teaming with the Howe Foundation to take another stride toward that goal.

Snider Hockey and the charity started by Gordie Howe’s wife, Colleen, announced a multi-year partnership on Tuesday that could advance the already stellar girls hockey program in the Philadelphia area. The Howe Foundation will give $5,000 each annually to assist both boys and girls hockey.

“Colleen and the Howe Foundation, that’s the foundation of that,” said Nolan Howe, grandson of “Mr. Hockey” and son of Hockey Hall of Famer Mark Howe. “We wouldn’t have done it, the Howe Foundation I’m speaking from now, had there not been the involvement of the girls program, because it’s the foundation of what we want to accomplish. Her vision and her mission was to help those in need and allow them to be able to enjoy it and to participate.”

Nolan Howe said 15 per cent of girls registered in the Atlantic district come from Snider Hockey. Executive vice-president Jan Koziara said all the girls travel teams have female coaches because the organization believes in the importance of role models.

Colleen Howe, known as “Mrs. Hockey,” founded the Detroit Junior Red Wings, managed her husband’s and sons Mark and Marty’s business interests, and was a powerhouse in the sport off the ice like Gordie was on it.