The Following
participated in the
2007-2008
Delta Sonic/Variety
Youth Hockey Program :

2007-2008
VOLUNTEER
Coaches

John Gilforte
Sam Harmon
Vasili "Voz" Kalodimos
James Nowak
Dan Schmidt
Eddie Shedesky
Joe Scarsella
Craig Willoughby

2007-2008
Hockey Task Force

Robin Roeser
Joe Scarsella
Chris Payne

2007-2008
Special Thank You

*Delta Sonic
*Pizza Hut
*Staff & Volunteers of Variety - The Children's Charity of Buffalo & Western New York
*Staff & Volunteers of Boys & Girls Clubs of Buffalo
*Robert Lowery
*Richard Goldstein
*Diane Rowe

The game face is on...

One of the coaches go over the drill routine during a practice

The coaches give some final words to the players making sure they know what to do on the ice

The younger participants take time for the 2007-2008 Team picture

The Older participants
take time out for the 2007-2008 team picture

The coaches, John Giliforte, Sam Harmon, Vasili "Voz" Kalodimos, James Nowak, Dan Schmidt, Eddie Shedesky, Joe Scarsella and Craig Willoughby donate their time each and every Saturday to make this program as great as it is

Tabitha Grekulak receives her certificate from Coach Sam Harmon. Tabitha had perfect attendance

Camren Hatten receives his certificate from Coach Sam Harmon

Coach Sam Harmon presents Veronica Jemes with her certificate

Marco Marrero, who had perfect attendance during the season, receives his certificate from Coach Sam Harmon

Silver Johnson receives her certificate from Coach Sam Harmon

Coach Sam Harmon presents Joey Thomas with his certificate

Over 100 people attended the annual Hockey Awards banquet

Sam Loster from the Babcock Club receives his clubs Most Improved Player award from Coach Sam Harmon. Sam, also had perfect attendance

Coach Sam Harmon presented the Beecher Club Most Improved Player award to JoJo Davila

Dominique Tolbert is the recipient of the LaSalle Club Most Improved Player award presented by Coach Sam Harmon

Coach Sam Harmon presents Camren Hatten with the Masten Club Most Improved Player Award

John Duggan receives the Southside Club Most Improved Award from Coach Sam Harmon. John had perfect attendance during the season

Troy Coble receives the Baird Club Most Improved Award from Coach Sam Harmon. Troy had perfect attendance for the season

Richard Goldstein, Executive Director of Variety and Coach Eddie Shedesky presents Matt Puza with the Faye Goldstein Memorial Most Dedicated Player of the Year award.

This was the presentation that was shown at the
Hockey Awards Breakfast

Each year, one child is chosen to participate in the annual Willie O'Ree Hockey Tournament. The event, named in honor of the man who broke the NHL's color barrier in 1958 with the Boston Bruins, brings 24 boys and girls, ages 10-12, to a selected NHL city for an All-Star Game Saturday and a Skills Competition on Sunday. The boys and girls are selected based on citizenship, academics and dedication to hockey and represent teams from across North America that participate in the NHL Diversity Task Force program, the League's not-for-profit arm that makes hockey accessible to everyone regardless of age, skill level or economic background.

WILLIE O'REE ALL-STAR GAME, now in it's ninth year, celebrates the successes of the individual inner city programs, as their top players, ages 10-12 years old, are given an opportunity to compete in an East versus West game.

The DTF HOCKEY CAMPERSHIP PROGRAM provides economically disadvantaged youngsters with a unique opportunity to attend summer hockey camp programs and receive top-notch on-ice hockey instruction. Named in honor of Stan Maxwell, a former professional hockey player, young participants in DTF programs are nominated by their coaches based on playing ability, hockey potential and citizenship, and selected by a committee of NHL executives.

Willie O'Ree played his first game in the NHL with the Boston Bruins on January 18, 1958, becoming the first black player in the National Hockey League. He played professional hockey for a total of 21 years, retiring in 1980 at the age of 45. In February 1998, O'Ree was named the director of youth development for the Diversity Task Force. Since his appointment, he has traveled to more than 50 NHL and non-NHL markets across North America (more than 300,000 miles), conducting clinics and visiting schools and hospitals and reaching out to thousands of children. In 1999, "The Autobiography of Willie O'Ree: Hockey's Black Pioneer," was published and chronicles his 21-year pro career.

Hockey's Black Pioneer
Although he played only 45 games over parts of two seasons with the Boston Bruins, William (Willie) O'Ree is remembered as the first black player in the history of the
National Hockey League.

career - 21 seasons, mostly in the old Western League with the Los Angeles Blades and the San Diego Gulls, despite losing his right eye in a junior hockey game when he was 21.

Born in Fredericton, New Brunswick, on Canada's Atlantic coast, O'Ree was an outstanding athlete as a youngster, excelling at hockey, rugby, soccer, basketball, track and baseball. A shortstop, he was invited to training camp with the Milwaukee Braves in 1956.

After O'Ree's professional hockey career ended in 1979, he became a supervisor for a company that handled security for the San Diego Chargers and later worked security at the spectacular Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego harbor.

O'Ree began doing promotional work in 1990 for the International Hockey League's San Diego Gulls. Six years later, he was asked by the NHL to assist with an All-Star Game designed to celebrate hockey's growing diversity.

Now in its seventh year, the Willie O'Ree All-Star Game honors O'Ree's career and allows selected boys and girls, ages 10-12, from each of the NHL Diversity Task Force programs across North America to interact with NHL players, attend an NHL game, and experience the culture of the host city. In addition, the youngsters take part in an all-star game of their own featuring an east-versus-west format.

O'Ree re-joined the NHL on January 18, 1998, the 40th anniversary of his first game in the NHL. As part of the 1998 NHL All-Star Weekend festivities, the NHL announced his appointment as the Director of Youth Development for the NHL Diversity Task Force.

O'Ree and his wife and daughter reside in San Diego, Calif.

This page last modified on Tuesday, July 01, 2008

For information on Variety - The Children's Charity of Buffalo & Western New York,
Please call us at (716) 854-7577 or e-mail us at: vcstaff@buffnet.net

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Pictures from the
2007-2008 Season

47th Annual

Sunday February 22, 2009

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