The National Hockey League’s first Black hockey player Willie O’Ree, in conjunction with the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation, recently taught young boys and girls of Camden County important life lessons on ice through the game of hockey. O’Ree is currently the NHL’s Director of Youth Development and hockey ambassador for “Hockey is for Everyone” initiative.

The event was held at Flyers Skate Zone in Pennsauken, N.J. To date he has helped launch more than 30 local grassroots hockey programs around North America with the purpose of educating disadvantaged youth on the values of hockey and life. More than 45,000 children have participated in O’Ree’s programs.

O’Ree is in town in support of the 2012 AHL All-Star Classic, which will take place in Atlantic City at the end of the week.

Philadelphia Flyers founder Ed Snider created Snider Hockey in 2005 as a personal commitment to teach children important life lessons. The mission of the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation is to build lives and unite communities. It uses the sport of hockey to help educate young people to succeed in the game of life. Snider Hockey services are targeted for inner city boys and girls who otherwise would not have the opportunity to learn to skate or to play ice hockey.

Taliaferro to eulogize Paterno at PSWA dinner

Adam Taliaferro, who recovered from a horrifying spinal cord injury while playing in a football game at Penn State, will deliver a short eulogy memorializing his Hall of Fame coaching legend Joe Paterno at the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association’s 108th annual dinner on Monday, January 30, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cherry Hill, N.J.

Taliaferro was a freshman defensive back when he suffered the career-ending injury in the fifth game of his collegiate career. He was given a three percent chance of walking again but miraculously recovered to return to Happy Valley to serve as a student assistant coach less than a year later.

Taliaferro, who graduated in 2005, is an associate attorney with the Cherry Hill (N.J.) law firm of Duane Morris LLP and was recently elected a Freeholder in Gloucester County.

Paterno, who died on Jan. 22 of lung cancer, was the all-time winningest coach in Division I with 409 victories. He guided Penn State to two national championships and five undefeated seasons over 46 years. For ticket information go to www.PSWA.org.

Contact staff writer Donald Hunt at (215) 893-5719 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .