Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation unveils new Pittsburgh Pennies girls hockey program
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation has announced a new Pittsburgh Pennies girls hockey program to further expand hockey's accessibility, inclusivity, and gender equality within the sport.
The initiative "aims to build upon the Penguins' community hockey programming, ensuring sustainable growth and widespread adoption of girls' hockey projects. It includes a nearly $300,000 investment over two seasons from the NHL/NHLPA Industry Growth Fund and the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation," according to a media release from the Penguins.
The Pittsburgh Pennies name is not foreign to Pittsburghers of a certain age. The original team was a pioneering women's ice hockey team founded in 1972 as the city's first women's hockey team. The Pennies competed in the Mid-Atlantic Women's Hockey League across the Northeast and Canada.
The Penguins will work to institute long-term programs, working directly with amateur hockey associations, to grow hockey participation across the Pittsburgh area with events like skills clinics, the Penguins' annual HER Hockey Game on Sunday, March 2, 2025, Try Hockey for Free clinics and the Little Penguins Learn to Play Hockey program.