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Jack and Luke Hughes on giving back and growing the game in New Jersey

The heart of New Jersey hockey sits on Lafayette St. in Newark, on the ice at The Rock, where for the past decade-and-a-half the Devils have given all they have for their city, their state. But two miles east, tucked away on the corner of Rome St. and St. Charles, is another rink, adorned with a towering mural of young players of colour, and just as vital to the city’s hockey identity.

It’s in that building, the Ironbound Recreation Center, that you’ll find Hockey in New Jersey (HNJ), the non-profit focused on providing access to the game for inner-city kids from underrepresented communities. Starting with a handful of young players two decades ago and growing to a program that’s granted free training and free equipment to more than 5,000 kids from around New Jersey, few can say they’ve had as significant an impact on hockey in the state as co-founders Keith Veltre and Dennis Ruppe.

Over the past couple years, Veltre and Ruppe have partnered with another duo who’s surely in that mix, too — brothers Jack and Luke Hughes.

“I went to their rink in Newark last year, and the relationship built [from there],” Jack says of his work with HNJ. “We brought them to a game and they all got jerseys, they got to meet some people, so I think that was really good.”

The centreman reconnected with the organization earlier this year for a surprise reunion with the HNJ kids, bringing along brother Luke, who’s joined him as a key contributor for the Devils this season. The pair’s arrival came as Bauer Hockey unveiled the massive mural inside the Ironbound Recreation Center honouring HNJ, the piece — created by graphic designer Jan Villegas — is emblazoned with the words ‘Welcome to Brick City’ and features portraits of kids in the program.

Milling about the ice that day as they awaited the unveiling, the young hockey lovers turned around in shock to see the two Devils stars step onto the sheet with them.

“It was my first time doing something like that — I think it's just pretty cool for us to do something within our community to try to help our community out, and grow the sport,” Luke says of that day at the rink. “Just talking to the kids and getting to know them a bit was pretty cool for me personally.

“I think it's something that we can get more involved in, and hopefully do more.”

Seeing jaws drop and eyes widen as the kids recognized they were getting the chance to share the ice with two of the Devils’ biggest stars, the impact of his effect on the community wasn’t lost on Jack.

“Honestly, for me, it just opened my eyes about how much they enjoy the game, how much they love the game, and how passionate they are about the game. ... They were really excited just to see us in the flesh because, you know, they're big Devils fans,” he says. “For us to show up and see them, obviously they're excited — but it definitely goes both ways.”

A half-decade into his time as a New Jersey Devil, his relationship with the hockey community growing over that time, the importance of programs like HNJ’s has become clear to the centre.

“New Jersey's obviously a special place, but it's interesting, you know?” Jack says. “We have great fans and we've got a lot of fans coming from the suburbs, a lot of hockey coming from the suburbs in that way. But this is a program that allows a lot of inner-city kids — in Newark and Elizabeth and areas like that — it gives them a chance to play and go to the rink and put their skates on. You know, just love the game, be passionate about it, just like all of us are.

“I think that's the great thing about Hockey in New Jersey is the inclusion and how they make it very, very easy for these kids to just show up to the rink and enjoy themselves, gives them a place to have a lot of fun. That's something that I think me and Luke are really happy with, and definitely something we want to be a part of, to make a difference.”

“When you think of Newark, you don’t think of hockey — it’s mainly just basketball and football,” explained Justin Hayward, a HNJ alum and now a coach for the program, in an NHL documentary about the non-profit. “In my neighbourhood, most of my friends that I grew up with, some of them died. It’s like, when I joined hockey, I found something to live for. I didn’t just wake up and just think, ‘Alright, well there’s nothing else to do’ — I woke up like, ‘Alright, I have hockey practice. I’ve got to go to school, and then after school I’ve got to go to practice.’

“So, hockey saved my life.”

Amanda Kamara’s son, Kevon, found a similar sense of freedom through hockey, with HNJ opening that door.

“Kids like my son, especially kids of colour, they don’t get this opportunity — they don’t get this opportunity at all — in Newark, which is of course predominantly a Black community,” she said in the NHL documentary. “It gave everybody the other side of hockey — not just, ‘Oh, it’s a white sport, blah blah blah.’ No, it’s not. It’s an everybody sport.

“It gives him a chance, and other kids a chance as well, to show their bright star.”

For the Hughes brothers, it’s stories like Kevon’s, like Justin’s, that make them want to continue with this work, to lend whatever help they can to the effort to grow the game in marginalized communities throughout New Jersey.

“This is just the beginning,” says Jack. “This is the tip of the iceberg, and I think we'll be able to do some really nice things and really cool things for these kids in this program in the future. I think we have a really cool opportunity, for me and Luke, to just help expand their love for the game, and give them opportunities, and allow them to do things maybe they wouldn't be able to do.

“It's something we're going to continue to do — continue to grow, continue to do things with these kids, really get to know them and really make a difference. That's what we're trying to do.”

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