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03/30/2022 08:30 AMAaron Marcel, a native of the South Shore region of Massachusetts, arrived in North Haven last fall to begin his medical studies at the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University on his way to becoming an orthopedic surgeon.
Two months later, with the assistance of three friends, he formed a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit foundation with the aim of helping young people throughout the Greater New Haven area.
The program, called Hockey Haven, enables students ages 5 through 12 to hit the ice and learn to play hockey by covering the high costs associated with entering the sport.
“Hockey is so prohibitively expensive,” the 27-year-old explains. “Gear is insanely expensive and team fees are outrageously expensive.”
In addition to the costs, Aaron says the sport has a history of exclusion.
“The NHL [National Hockey League] is 95-percent White, and that lack of diversity extends all the way down to youth hockey,” Aaron says. “With this program, what we are trying to do is provide free equipment and free learn-to-play programming for under-represented kids who otherwise wouldn’t be able to play hockey, whether it’s due to racial barriers or financial barriers.”
The program has been so well received, Aaron already has some big names attached, most notably the New York Rangers.
“When I first started, I talked to a few buddies in my class and we got going, posted on social media, and this girl I know from when I was in middle school, who is currently a reporter for the NHL, saw my post [and] reached out,” Aaron explains. “[She] thought the idea for Hockey Haven was amazing and asked what she could do to help.”
After the NHL reporter’s tweet hit her 70,000 Twitter followers, “the New York Rangers saw it, and the next day I got an email from the Rangers saying they were heavily interested in this area and getting involved,” says Aaron. “We’ve been working with them ever since to get the program off the ground.”
“We’re targeting any families of color or low-income in all the Greater New Haven area,” Aaron continues. “The only thing we do require is transportation because we’re unable to do that right now because of limits on our funds and insurance policy. [We] don’t have the liability coverage to transport kids, so if parents are able to transport their kids to the rink, we are accepting kids from anywhere in the surrounding towns.”
That old saying about how the apples don’t fall far from the trees is true when understanding Aaron’s motivation and self-focus, which he learned at home.
“[My parents] are the hardest workers ever,” Aaron says. “Both of them own their own businesses and neither went to college. My dad took over his dad’s construction company, which was small, and he’s taken it to another level. He’s been doing that since he was 18. His drive is insane. He wakes up at like three o’clock every morning and doesn’t get home until seven.”
“My mom is the same way,” continues Aaron. “She worked at the same place as a hairdresser for 30 years until the owner wanted to retire, and then she bought the hair salon. [My parents] grew up pretty poor, so they really made themselves into what they are.”
With these examples—and the self-discipline and team-spirit lessons learned from playing not just hockey while in school but baseball in middle school and lacrosse in high school—Aaron is now carrying it all forward in an orchestrated plan to help young people while earning his medical stripes.
His interest in medicine also derives from childhood experiences.
“When I was 9, I had knee surgery from a skiing injury,” Aaron recalls. “It was miserable at the time. I was out of sports for a year and a half, but I think that’s what kick-started my interest in orthopedic medicine.”
Additionally, his father’s numerous shoulder and knee surgeries due to injuries caused by the grueling physical demands of construction work prompted Aaron’s interest in orthopedics.
Another motivator for studying medicine—of a more solemn nature—stems from the experience of one of his three siblings.
“My older brother struggled with opioid addiction. He’s clean now, but it took him a really long time to get clean,” Aaron admits.
“The transformation that medicine can have on people is so impactful. If it wasn’t for the care [my brother] got and the doctors he saw that saved his life, he wouldn’t be here today. So, I think that’s a really appealing aspect of the things you can do for people through medicine and being a doctor. Seeing what drugs did to my brother was really a strong lesson for me growing up.”
As Aaron continues his medical studies over the next few years, he plans to expand upon the early success of Hockey Haven.
“The movement to try to diversify the sport of hockey is a nationally recognized,” Aaron notes. “It’s quite obvious that it’s a non-diverse sport and that the access isn’t there for people of color and people who can’t afford it, so we’re really just trying to contribute to that national mission.”
“A lot of our program is girls, too,” Aaron adds. “And we have some women coaches, so we are trying to grow the female game as well.”
“Down the line, we are hoping to establish an education component to the program, and do off-ice activities, so we can become an influential part of the kids’ lives, not just in hockey, but in other aspects as well, whether it’s in relationships, role models and mentors to look up to, education, and things like that.”
“And then, way down the line,” Aaron adds, “as the kids get older and the program has been established for several years, we want to be able to offer college scholarships.”
Aaron says he has trying to get the word out to area towns and schools about Hockey Haven.
“Most of our recruitment has been through existing non-profits in New Haven, especially the Monk Youth Jazz and Steam Collective. Marcella Monk [Flake], who runs that, she’s been extremely helpful in helping us recruit kids and spread the word.”
“We’re hoping to get into the school system in New Haven and work out something where maybe we can have an afterschool program here, and the school can offer transportation for the kids to get them to the rink,” concludes Aaron, adding, “That’s looking forward to maybe next fall or next winter when we do the next installment after this first program.”
To learn more about Hockey Haven, visit hockeyhavenct.org, call 203-903-4271, or email HockeyHavenCT@gmail.com.