IRVING PARK — Every Sunday afternoon at McFetridge Sports Center, kids in hockey gear step onto the massive sheet of ice — many for the first time — to learn the coolest game on Earth.
Annelise Quander is among them. The 10-year-old Avondale resident has taken figure skating lessons for a few years, but after hearing about a classmate who’d played hockey since kindergarten, Annelise wanted in.
“Halfway through her figure skating classes, she asked, ‘So when do we get the stick?’” said Annelise’s father, Marty Quander.
“I like hockey because I feel like it’s a great way to get your energy out,” Annelise said. “And I like meeting new people and playing. It’s just really fun.”
For the past 13 years, Hockey On Your Block has introduced kids of color from underserved communities across the city to a sport they might not otherwise have learned or considered trying.
“Arthur Ashe once said all kids should have access to all sports,” said Ray Lilja, Hockey On Your Block founder. “Therefore, all kids should have access to participating in ice sports and [should be able to] become the best version of themselves, no matter who they are, no matter where they live.”
Lilja’s nonprofit runs a free youth hockey program for girls and boys 5-14 at three rinks in the city: McFetridge, 3843 N. California Ave.; McCormick Tribune Ice Rink, 201 E. Randolph St.; and the Morgan Park Sports Center, 11505 S. Western Ave.
It’s a three-part program. Kids start in the Learn to Skate program for 10-12 weeks before moving on to Learn to Play, where they’re introduced to ice hockey basics while continuing to get comfortable on the ice. Team Chicago, the third stage, has students competing against local youth league teams and practicing year-round with volunteer coaches.
Lilja started playing hockey as a kid on frozen lakes and ponds in his hometown of Worth, Illinois.
“I soon discovered that unlike the other ‘major’ sports, you don’t have to be 7 feet tall or weigh 350 pounds to excel at hockey,” Lilja said. “Hockey gives you a life full of love, laughter and friendship. It teaches you perseverance, discipline, teamwork and dedication. It is a game that can be played by boys and girls, the young and the old.”
Lilja played club hockey at Illinois State University, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in industrial technology, and went on to play for the semi-pro Peoria Blades for three years before retiring his skates.
Lilja worked in the recruitment agency and financial investment fields, but his love for ice hockey never wavered. The idea for Hockey On Your Block came to him in 2010. Lilja was inspired when he was at home watching post-game coverage of the Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup victory as a reporter interviewed a neighborhood kid outside the United Center, he said.
“This kid said not only had he never played hockey, but he had never even been on ice skates,” Lilja said. “And that’s when it hit me. I thought, ‘How cool would it be to take these same inner-city kids and remove the barriers that prevent them from experiencing the thrill of learning to ice skate and play hockey.'”
Lilja held his first class in summer 2011 at Johnny’s Ice House in the West Loop with the help of his friend and NHL Foundation manager John Sanful and Ald. Walter Burnett’s office, which sent out flyers about the free class, Lilja said.
About 400 kids signed up. Lilja took 65 for that first class and put the rest on a waiting list.
“We eventually gave all the kids on the waiting list their turn, and we’ve used that system ever since,” he said.
Hockey On Your Block is primarily funded through donations and grants. It falls under the umbrella organization Chicago Youth Foundation, a women-led nonprofit that also runs figure skating programs for kids in the city.
Erin Proctor, Chicago Youth Foundation’s hockey director, started as a volunteer a few months ago before moving into her role overseeing Hockey On Your Block’s programs.
“I love coaching because you see the kids picking up what you’re teaching them and making friends with each other, and they’re really excited to come,” Proctor said. “I feel like kids always need some outlets for their energy.”
Proctor, who led the girls’ hockey team at suburban Oak Park-River Forest High School to a state championship in 2019, said she wants to pass along her lessons and experiences in a sport that wasn’t always so welcoming.
Proctor picked up hockey when she was 11 and played alongside boys in those early years, she said.
“Sometimes they had a girls’ locker room. Sometimes there would be a storage closet. They were just trying to accommodate me and another girl on the team,” she said.
Proctor’s male teammates and opponents “were always making weird comments. Guys on the other team would chirp and make comments about having girls on the other team. … They were not wanting to compete against a girl and not sure how to play against one in games and practices, too,” Proctor said.
So far, Annelise, one of Proctor’s students, has had nothing but positive experiences with the sport and Hockey On Your Block.
“They’re really nice, they’re really helpful. Like if someone’s not good at one skill, they have them work on that skill while other people are doing a skill that they are good at,” Annelise said. “I just like skating as like, a fun sport, but I may start playing on a team, maybe with a friend or something.”
The current session of Hockey On Your Block ends in late March. More information about the program and registration can be found on its website.
Support Local News!
Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Already subscribe? Click here to gift a subscription, or you can support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation.
Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:
