Ed Snider Youth Hockey
Date Published: 1-31-2023
Photo Credits: FNG’s Rob Windfelder
If not for the actions of Flyers owner Ed Snider Scanlon Ice Rink probably would not exist today. Instead it’s standing strong as a stabilizing oasis in a neighborhood where it’s much needed and greatly appreciated. During the downtime caused by the NHL lockout of 2005 Snider put his team to work to begin building what would become the Ed Snider Foundation Youth Hockey program. He partnered with the City of Philadelphia to save five inner city rinks whose future was uncertain. Scanlon which sits at 1099 E Venango Street in Kensington was one of the first rinks rescued by Mr. Snider’s charity. As I was doing research on the playground and its history I learned that this was not the first time a sports legend had stepped up to save this place.
A Field of Dreams
The rink is the centerpiece of a large playground facility which also has a play area, basketball courts, and a grass ball field. The field was commissioned by Ascension Parish in 1920. By 1923 the Ascension Baseball Club was in financial hardship with no way to pay off its debts on the field. Pastor Father William Casey was the unofficial chaplain of the Philadelphia Athletics pro baseball team. He used his connections to work out a meeting with Babe Ruth. Yes, that Babe Ruth.
Father Casey asked Ruth to play on the Ascension team for one day in a charity baseball game against the Lit Brothers Department Store team. Babe Ruth said if it involved the kids he would do it. Ruth wore an Ascension uniform and the neighborhood baseball game drew an estimated 10,000 spectators. Fans filled the rooftops and railway overpasses to catch a glimpse of one of baseball’s all time greats. The proceeds from the game paid off the field which is still part of the Scanlon Recreation Center today.
The ice rink on the other hand had a very modest beginning without the legendary fanfare and has evolved slowly over the years. At first it was just a slab of ice. Then eventually it was walled in with cinderblock. The roof was added in 1970. So far no matter how many people I ask, I have not been able to find anyone who can tell me what year the rink actually opened. It’s almost like it has just always been here. Many locals have great memories of time spent at the rustic seasonal rink “back in the day” but nobody seems to know exactly when it got here. The rink was the spot where neighborhood kids enjoyed skating and ice hockey for generations but it was slowly falling apart. The local Civic Association was trying to save the rink but to no avail.
The End of an Era
Scanlon’s rink was on the road to closure in 2005. There was talk of the Phillies ownership demolishing the rink and installing batting cages. The rink was old and in disrepair just like the other city owned ice facilities. It seemed like the City of Philadelphia was about to get out of the ice game altogether. As fate would have it, the timing of the NHL lockout and the inspiration that put Ed Snider into action could not have come together at a better time. The man who brought professional ice hockey and the Stanley Cup to Philly had at least one more amazing gift to give.
The Snider Foundation
The Ed Snider Hockey Foundation saved and renovated five inner city rinks that seemed destined for closure. Scanlon was the first to be renovated and to get the hockey based program up and running. The foundation offers after school programs where kids not only learn how to play the great game of hockey but it also helps them with many important life lessons as well.
Involvement in scholastic sports often requires students to keep up a certain grade point average. One of the many great things about the Snider program is that you do not get removed from the sports program if your grades are suffering. You are given help with the subjects you are struggling with. The foundation has tutors in place who zero in on the areas where a student may need assistance and gives them the help that they need to get through it. It is a unique formula that is as brilliant as it is kind.
Flyers great Bobby Clarke said this about Ed Snider’s vision “he wanted his legacy to be his youth hockey foundation. How much greater can you be than helping kids who need help? Hockey is just the tool. He’s helping them become honest, and respectful, and decent, and giving them a chance in life”.
The program is offered to kids from 1st grade through 12th. There is a skill level available for everyone. There are in house and traveling hockey teams. The Snider program also offers assistance in obtaining scholarships for further education as well as paid internships with businesses throughout the area. Ed Snider put it this way. “It uses the sport of hockey to help educate young people to succeed in the game of life”. The Foundation provides all of these services including the hockey gear and ice time free of charge. Currently 245 kids are enrolled in the youth hockey program at Scanlon Ice Rink.
Rink Rats A Way of Life
I spoke with Noel Diaz who runs the skate room, he also seems to have no idea when he got here. I asked him when he started at Scanlon and he told me he has been here his entire life. Like the rink itself, he’s just always been here I guess. His mother skated here, this is where he grew up. He said it’s similar for Rosie Castro who coaches at Scanlon, he was her coach here when she was little. Many people who currently work here as adults were involved at the rink and in the Snider program when they were growing up. “They never left” he says “rink-rats”… just like him.
It’s fun to watch Noel interact with the kids as he helps them from the window of the skate room. It’s a good natured a back and forth. It’s like family. You can see he’s having as much fun as they are even as he tries to claim that they are driving him nuts. He’s also the best skate guy in Philly, but don’t tell him I told you that. Noel says “If you can save one kid, get them out and get them off to college or wherever, then you’ve done something”. …The truth is they’ve helped thousands of kids.
Old Time Hockey
Noel told me when he was a kid there were three separate floors under the ice. Over the years when the rink was in need of renovations to keep costs down they didn’t tear the old floors up they just built over top of them. So the ice was about two feet off the ground and there were no boards. If you fell or got knocked out of the rink it was a two foot drop onto the cement floor below. They installed boards some time in the late 1980’s but no glass. So if you got knocked over the boards it was now a six foot drop to the cement floor below. Old Time Hockey! At some point wire fencing was installed, glass wasn’t added until the 2010 overhaul. Sims Skate House in Cobbs Creek was the first city rink to install glass thanks to The Fresh Prince Will Smith.
When the Ed Snider Foundation renovated Scanlon’s rink it was a gigantic project and investment. They ripped up all of the old floors and installed a beautiful ice surface, pipes, boards, and glass. The rink was upgraded to a year round facility and a really nice one at that. The Flyers have even practiced here. Scanlon recently broke ground on a new outdoor foot hockey rink made possible by a grant from the Snider foundation. You can only imagine how many kids have gone on from here to lead happy productive lives because of the lessons they’ve learned at this rink.
The Gift that Keeps on Giving
The neighborhood around Scanlon if full of temptations. There are a ton of bad choices available on the way back and forth to this place. Unfortunately the crime and drugs in this area are totally out of control. Scanlon is an oasis for the families here. It is a safe haven and an opportunity to be part of a community that is offering a positive step forward in life. It is also a chance to learn all of the amazing life lessons that are hidden inside of the greatest game on earth.
Check out our Flyers Nitty Gritty Store
Sadly Mr. Snider is no longer with us but you can help keep his vision alive. Ed Snider Youth Hockey and Education http://SniderHockey.org/make-a-gift
