At a Congressional Hockey Caucus panel today on Capitol Hill, National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman joined Johnny C. Taylor Jr., president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, in announcing a new four-year scholarship initiative aimed at inner-city youths.
Rep. Pat Meehan (R-Pa.), co-chair of the caucus, hosted the panel today, with NBC News anchor Luke Russert as a moderator. While football and basketball don’t have congressional caucuses of their own, a minor league baseball caucus exists, as does a Congressional Youth Sports Caucus.
The NHL-Thurgood Marshall scholarship initiative, scheduled to launch in January, will be open to any child who participates in the NHL’s Hockey Is for Everyone program, which looks to expand the game into traditionally underserved urban areas.
Bettman said at the briefing today that the .