New Rochelle’s Kim Davis works to help diversify NHL’s fan base

Kimberly Davis, a New Rochelle resident who grew up on the south side of Chicago, is working to make the game of ice hockey more accessible to everyone.

News 12 Staff

Feb 22, 2020, 12:49 AM

Updated 1,617 days ago

Share:

Kimberly Davis, a New Rochelle resident who grew up on the south side of Chicago, is working to make the game of ice hockey more accessible to everyone.
Davis was named as the NHL’s executive vice president for social impact, growth initiatives and legislative affairs since 2017. Since then, Davis, a black woman in a sport generally dominated by white players and coaches, has launched her campaign, “Hockey is for Everyone.”
"A lot of the image of our sport, particularly in the minority communities, has to do with our just not reaching out. But the sport is actually a very close-knit welcoming sport when your part of it,” she told News 12.
Even though she loved ice skating as a child, Davis and her sports-addicted family never warmed to ice hockey.
"I often wondered…why hockey just wasn't something that seems to be a part of black culture," she says.
When Davis joined the NHL after decades in the banking industry, she soon found out black people were actually pioneers in the sport and have been playing hockey since 1895. That's when the colored hockey league was formed. It lasted nearly 40 years and served as a pre-cursor to the NHL.
The campaign she began is part of an effort to diversify the NHL’s fan base. A big part of the initiative can be seen inside a 53-foot long mobile museum that chronicles black hockey history. It’s traveling to different NHL teams in February as part of Black History Month.
News 12 was there outside the Devil’s home ice at the Prudential Center when defenseman P.K. Subban stopped by.
"Hopefully, we're going to get some more black players holding up Stanley Cups on the wall and I hope to be one of them,” he says.
 


More from News 12
1:52
Hudson Valley doctors warn of listeria dangers following multi-state outbreak

Hudson Valley doctors warn of listeria dangers following multi-state outbreak

2:04
Sunny skies and warm temps for Saturday in the Hudson Valley

Sunny skies and warm temps for Saturday in the Hudson Valley

0:38
Multimillion-dollar transformation on the way for sections of Hudson Valley

Multimillion-dollar transformation on the way for sections of Hudson Valley

0:49
New basketball documentary film 'The Process' has ties to Westchester

New basketball documentary film 'The Process' has ties to Westchester

0:49
Olympic watch party in Pomona cheers on Rockland athletes

Olympic watch party in Pomona cheers on Rockland athletes

0:32
Veteran firefighter who suffered stroke receives warm welcome home

Veteran firefighter who suffered stroke receives warm welcome home

0:17
Yorktown police sergeant celebrates final walkout following 2 decades of service

Yorktown police sergeant celebrates final walkout following 2 decades of service

1:40
Lithium-ion battery fire blamed for closure of Newburgh tailor shop

Lithium-ion battery fire blamed for closure of Newburgh tailor shop

0:52
Slate Hill family of 5 loses home in afternoon blaze

Slate Hill family of 5 loses home in afternoon blaze

0:37
2 people charged in Middletown narcotics; firearms bust

2 people charged in Middletown narcotics; firearms bust

1:30
Motorcycle, van crash in Greenburgh causes serious injuries

Motorcycle, van crash in Greenburgh causes serious injuries

0:56
News 12 probes mystery cloud traced to Orange County & seen throughout tri-state area

News 12 probes mystery cloud traced to Orange County & seen throughout tri-state area

1:02
Hillcrest Fire Department receives 2,000 cans of drinking water, courtesy of Anheuser-Busch

Hillcrest Fire Department receives 2,000 cans of drinking water, courtesy of Anheuser-Busch

1:37
Storm Watch Team Meteorologist Skyler Harman strikes down lightning myths

Storm Watch Team Meteorologist Skyler Harman strikes down lightning myths

2:33
Can swimming become dangerous due to extremely high water surface temperatures?

Can swimming become dangerous due to extremely high water surface temperatures?

0:32
NYC officials: Westchester caseworker’s death ruled a homicide

NYC officials: Westchester caseworker’s death ruled a homicide

0:40
State, federal lawmakers introduce legislation to shorten funding gap for World Trade Center Health Program

State, federal lawmakers introduce legislation to shorten funding gap for World Trade Center Health Program

0:34
Ex Frito-Lay employee files defamation lawsuit against PepsiCo claiming he invented ‘Flamin’ Hot Cheetos

Ex Frito-Lay employee files defamation lawsuit against PepsiCo claiming he invented ‘Flamin’ Hot Cheetos

0:40
Executive orders still in place preventing Rockland County and Orange County hotels from converting into migrant shelters

Executive orders still in place preventing Rockland County and Orange County hotels from converting into migrant shelters

0:34
Finger in salad lawsuit against Chop’t discontinued

Finger in salad lawsuit against Chop’t discontinued