Key Takeaways
- Around 80 kids participated in a Blue Jackets Get Out And Learn street hockey clinic at Blackburn Community Center, many picking up a stick for the first time
- Six members of Columbus police and fire division hockey teams served as on-ice instructors alongside CBJ staff
- The clinic operated through Center Without Walls, a Columbus Recreation and Parks Department program serving youth aged 6-14 without safe access to community centers
- Each participant received a free street hockey stick and ball to take home
- The event preceded the Blue Jackets’ First Responders Night presented by Jet’s Pizza
First Responders Trade Firehouses for Hockey Sticks
The Columbus Blue Jackets brought together an unusual coaching staff for a recent youth hockey clinic: two Columbus Division of Police officers and four Division of Fire members, all recreational hockey players themselves.
The Feb. 23 event at Blackburn Community Center on Columbus’ East Side introduced around 80 kids to street hockey through the Blue Jackets’ GOAL program, a free initiative presented in association with Apex Pros. Kids rotated through drills covering stick handling, passing and shooting basics.
Columbus Division of Police officer Trent Everhart, a hockey player since fourth grade, helped lead the instruction. “Columbus is a hockey city, and hockey has grown so much here, so to be able to come out here in the community and introduce hockey to all these kids is awesome,” Everhart said.
Center Without Walls Opens the Door
The clinic reached its audience through Center Without Walls, a Columbus Recreation and Parks Department initiative that brings programming to youth aged 6-14 who live in areas without a nearby community center or safe walking route to one. Core services include after-school programs, summer camps, in-school outreach and community pop-ups.
Alex Passas, recreation administrative manager in CRPD’s youth development division, framed the clinic as part of a broader access strategy. “For many of our youth, opportunities like attending a professional sporting event simply wouldn’t happen otherwise,” Passas said. “Introducing them to hockey in a region where it isn’t traditionally predominant adds an exciting layer of discovery.”
A Model for Community-Level Youth Sports Access
Kyle Sloan, a firefighter paramedic stationed blocks from Blackburn Community Center, grew up playing hockey when the Blue Jackets arrived in Columbus. For Sloan, the event was a natural extension of community engagement.
The collaboration between an NHL franchise, municipal first responders and a city parks department offers a replicable framework for youth sports introduction programs. By embedding sport-specific programming within an existing community access infrastructure like CWOW, the Blue Jackets reached kids who might never encounter the sport through traditional pathways.
Each participant left with a street hockey stick and ball, removing one more barrier to continued play at home.
Source: NHL.com/Blue Jackets, Jeff Svoboda, March 27, 2026
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Columbus Blue Jackets partner with police, fire and parks departments to introduce 80 kids to hockey through a street clinic on the city’s East Side.
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