Key Takeaways
- NHLPA Goals & Dreams and OREO awarded $200,000 in equipment grants to 14 Canadian youth hockey organizations through the inaugural Stay Playful For All program
- Four organizations received $25,000 grants while ten received $10,000 grants, targeting communities from coast to coast
- NHL stars Nick Suzuki and William Nylander personally delivered equipment to two Toronto and Montreal recipient teams
- The program features six NHL and PWHL player ambassadors promoting grassroots hockey accessibility across Canada
- Grant recipients include specialized programs for adaptive hockey, female hockey development, and Indigenous communities
Addressing Equipment Barriers in Youth Hockey
The National Hockey League Players’ Association and OREO launched their first joint equipment distribution program, allocating $200,000 to youth hockey organizations across Canada. The OREO Stay Playful For All initiative represents a collaboration between OREO’s corporate community investment strategy and the NHLPA’s established Goals & Dreams charitable program.
The program distributed grants to 14 organizations, with four receiving $25,000 and ten receiving $10,000. Recipients span nine provinces and territories, including programs in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Yukon Territory.
“Through the OREO Stay Playful For All program, we’re not just donating hockey equipment, we’re investing in the spirit of play and community across Canada,” said Sonia Bongiorno, Canada Team Lead for Partnerships, Scale Activations, and Shopper Marketing at Mondelez Canada Inc. “Our goal is to remove the barriers that often prevent access to the game Canadians love.”
Grant Recipients and Geographic Distribution
The $25,000 grant tier included Bill Bolton Arena in Toronto, Vancouver Female Ice Hockey Association, the Sensory Motor Instructional Learning Experience (S.M.I.L.E) Program in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, and La ligue de hockey les Mini-Palettes Roses in Quebec’s Laurentides region.
Ten organizations received $10,000 grants: Take A Shot Sports in Windsor, London Blizzard Sledge Hockey, North Bay North Stars, Fort Hope First Nation Hockey, Carmacks Minor Hockey in Yukon Territory, Hockey New Brunswick in Dieppe, L’Association de Hockey Mineur de Villeray in Montreal, Association du hockey mineur de Rocher in Chandler, Gaspésie, Association du hockey mineur de Mont-Joli in Bas-Saint-Laurent, and Huntingdon Minor Hockey Association in Lac St-Louis.
The recipient list reflects diversity in program types, including adaptive sports (sledge hockey), Indigenous community programs (Fort Hope First Nation), female-focused development (Vancouver Female Ice Hockey Association), and sensory-inclusive programming (S.M.I.L.E Program).
Player Involvement and Campaign Execution
Six professional hockey players served as program ambassadors: NHL players Nick Suzuki, William Nylander, Quinn Hughes, and Zach Hyman, plus PWHL stars Sarah Nurse and Marie-Philip Poulin. The ambassadors promoted the campaign through social media channels, encouraging fans to share stories about the role of play in their communities.
Suzuki and Nylander participated directly in equipment deliveries, surprising teams at Bill Bolton Arena and L’Association de Hockey Mineur de Villeray with in-person visits. The interactions were captured in a campaign video documenting the equipment handoff and subsequent on-ice time with the players.
Daniel DeCarolis, representing Bill Bolton Arena, described the program’s impact on their operations. “As a not-for-profit hockey organization that offers recreational house league and helps disadvantaged youth get new equipment, it’s thanks to grant programs like this that allow us to expand programming and impact more members of the community,” he said.
Strategic Alignment with NHLPA Goals & Dreams
The partnership extends the NHLPA Goals & Dreams program, which has a multi-decade history of supporting grassroots hockey development. By aligning with OREO’s Stay Playful brand positioning, the NHLPA expanded its equipment distribution capacity for the 2024-2025 season.
“NHLPA members have a long history of supporting grassroots hockey in communities all across Canada through NHLPA Goals & Dreams,” said Devin Smith, NHLPA Senior Director of Sponsorship and Player Marketing. “Providing access to the game and connecting with people across Canada who love hockey is something that our players take great pride in.”
The program structure follows established charitable sports equipment distribution models, with corporate funding supporting procurement and logistics while the sports organization manages recipient selection and delivery coordination.
Implications for Youth Hockey Access
Equipment costs represent a documented barrier to youth hockey participation in Canada. The grant amounts range from approximately enough to outfit two to three full teams at the $10,000 level to five to six teams at the $25,000 level, depending on equipment quality and program needs.
For recipient organizations operating as non-profits or serving underserved populations, the grants provide inventory that can be distributed directly to families facing economic barriers or used as shared equipment in house league or introductory programs.
The program’s inaugural year establishes a baseline for potential expansion. Mondelez Canada and the NHLPA have indicated the program will continue, with application information for future grant cycles available at oreoplayful.ca.
Organizations interested in the next funding cycle can monitor the program website for announcement of application windows and eligibility requirements. The current recipient list suggests selection criteria weighted toward demonstrated community need, program diversity, and geographic distribution across Canadian regions.
via: NHLPA
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