$"$" captions paid for by nbc-universal television welcome to hockey day in america, presented by mcdonald's. >> the rink at millennium park in downtown chicago is our ohm today. later on, the defending stanley cup champions host the pittsburgh penguins. before that, three regional early games on tap. east lansing michigan here roe

ryan miller was the hero of the olympic run. his younger brother, drew miller and the detroit red wings are in minnesota to take on the wild. plus, boyle and the rangers take on the af great dalyy for hock it's aey gat day for hockey across america. do discover where the roots of this grahame rise, you have to rise early in the morning. before the rest of the world has awoken. there, in the predawn darkness, you'll find families heading out towar sheet of ice. >> honey, did you remember your jersey. >> yeah, i got it in my bag. >> you'll discover another day of hockey just beginning. the heart of this game is far

from any spotlight, in places where generations have gathered basic skills and fundamental values. on any given day in any number of cities and towns, you'll find hockey thriving, often in likely spots, other times where you least expect it. in the frigid open air, they convene once a year from all over to celebrate a shared love of the ice. and then they compete mercilessly for control of it. then there are those who might never have given the sport a try. if not for the idea that hockey could offer them something new. >> keep your head up. >> hope. >> good plays out there tonight. >> every love affair with the game begins quietly with simple steps. a select few advance with the

benefit of the most remarkable talents. with unbelievable saves and remarkable shot. and a sheer love of the game. turning imagination into reality on the biggest of stages. it's a game with deep roots all across the country. >> nice job, nice job. >> roots celebrated today. >> yeah! >> hockey day in america. today, hockey takes center stage at the rink in mill lennium par in chicago. of course, one of the things that definitely makes this sport so amazing is that it has one of the most amazing trophies in all of sports, lord stanley's cup. eddie olczyk grew up here. started here.

finished here. >> almost lost it. >> never had one, mike. >> how great it is to have this trophy here in your hometown? >> it's unbelievable. the leadership on and off the ice. back in the 1960s, the blackhawks were the number one team in the town, they went away for awhile. now they're back. >> this is where they get the passion from the heroes. >> this is where you learn it. we see it. we want to be a part of it. >> we're just getting started. these two are my nhl vips. let's focus on serious star power. there's a pickup game every week in los angeles. mixing it up, directors, actors, music execs. a few nhl players. at the center of it all, one of

the most powerful men in hollywood. >> it's fun to let it all out. i can't think about what i do. i have a stressful job. i can't think about that at all because i'll get killed. i have to keep my attention on who is coming at me or who is behind me, who is trying to trip me. >> jerry bruckheimer makes picture. over the years, he has made time to organize a reekly hockey game. it's a ritual. he descended on hockey at a time when kings games were the place to be. >> number 99, wayne gretzky. >> we findly had a star here. you had people wanting to see him play. wanted to see the best play nor the sport. all of a sudden, the kings were selling out. >> across the line, he shoots,

he scores! >> bruckheimer's skate was newfound in hollywood. they could escape the workweek. actors took to the ice as well. many of them discovering the sport after taking roles as hockey players on the big screen. >> i did the movie, "the cutting edge" and they said, we'll pay you to learn to skate. since then, i do it all the time. i love it. it's the greatest thing. >> i had to learn for the mike meyers movie, the love guru. jerry invited me every night. get here, get knocked over. most of my pride is lost on this ice. in this skate. >> shoot it. yeah! there we go.

>> you go to jerry team next week. surprise. jerry doesn't make the teams. the teams are made randomly by his employee, manny. jerry always wins in hockey. >> jerry's skate is just incredible. the one thing, once they do this -- see this guy, an actor in bad boys. a former l.a. king. then he became my protecter and enforcer. he's done it for gretzky for years. he decided to take up for me. >> the showbiz power players may seem better suited for country club sports. a few can really play hockey. others make up with enthusiasm what they lack in experience. a simple passion for the game is the simple thread through it all. >> for six days of the week, i

can't wait until sunday. for this. it takes care of a lot of tre stress. i'm sweating. i'm having a blast. what could be better? >> they say you can usually find him in front of the net. jerry knows where you make the money. who was the best celebrity hockey player you played with? >> i like the way mike fox did it. he was good. but denis leary played it the way he acts. still to come on hockey day in america, an inside look at the only american team in the canadian women's hockey league. and the story of a long-time coach and mentor in one of washington, d.c.'s poorest neighborhoods. up next, 1700 plays descend on a wisconsin town. that's coming up on hockey day

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a big thank you for the folks at the chicago office of tourism. they made this possible. last weekend, another celebration of this sport. wisconsin hosted the national pond hockey national championships. >> 94.5, wrj old dis. we started out at 23 below zero. >> dollar lake is frozen two fe. and volunteers are nearing the end of a process that began three months ago, hand krafting 300,000 square feet of ice into 24 picture perfect rinks.

room enough for 250 teams and 1700 players from around the world. all together, amid breathtaking, bone-chilling beauty. >> minus 22 degrees. come on. are you joking? >> it's like you can't understand it until you've done it the way it was originally intended. >> you can't replicate this anywhere. >> not in texas you can't. >> here, competition matters less than camaraderie. in every direction are grown men and women rediscovering the thrill of hockey in its purest form. for nearly 40 years, mugsy has been playing is hockey in eagle river. now 5 and with two artificial hips, he still plays with men half his age. >> set it up. you got it, lou. >> hockey's been in my blood all my life. i've been playing since i was 4

years old. it would be like, you know, cutting my legs off if i couldn't play hockey. >> put one in the win column. >> peggy ford is a 49-year-old mother of three from chicago. her team, the misconducts was formed five years ago when a group of self-proclaimed hockey moms grew tired of watching their kids have all the fun. >> here i got it. no, i don't have it. >> you get up in the morning and you look around and you're like i'm not at home. this is awesome. i don't have to clean anything, i don't have to take care of anyone. >> come on. take it, dana. come on. go, melissa! yea! yeah. >> for gerald keen, the tournament is a long-awaited chance to play alongside friends. >> we used to play anytime

school was canceled, daylight to dark. our moms used to beat us with a broom to get us off the ice. even today, we always revert back to that time that brought us closer together as friends, probably closer together than some brothers. >> gerald was supposed to be here a year ago. instead, he was deployed to iraq. after his tour, he learned that his friends had named their team the g-men. they won their division wearing sweaters that honored their friend and all those risking everything to make the world more peaceful. >> it's a great honor for them to keep me in their thoughts and prayers. that meant a lot to me. i was very proud of them. >> for some, this competition is a taste of youth. for the chance to break free from everyday life. for the experience that solidifies the bonds of friendship, and though in scale this tournament is so vast, in

spirit, it matches the precious charm of backyard games everywhere. sergeant gerald keen led his team in scoring over the three games in eagle river. we'll have more about the g-men later. guys, how badly does that make you want to play? >> i'm in. i'm going next year. you're my first-round pick and then i'm going to trade pierre from the guy from the punishers. i loved that. >> we've got a trainer right here in liam. doc can call all the games. that sounds like fun. >> you can having jerseys just like those. >> mugsy is beautiful. >> he is absolutely is. you should start growing your beard right now. our first game on this busy game of hockey features america's goalie ryan miller whose stubbornness sparked his shot-stopping career. >> my father was coaching the team and i had a bit of a sit

down strike. he called my line and i didn't go out and he asked me why i wasn't on the ice. and i told him i want to try goalie. he had to negotiate me, i had a hat trick, three assists, come back and win that game. i went out and did that. that was the last time i played forwar forward. >> hello, hockey fans. >> let's go down to center ice for some between period action. action. it's the geico shot of the day. >> i didn't hear you, craig. the what shot of the day? >> craig? i don't think i heard you correctly. it sounded like you said -- cut to commercial. ♪

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goal by the united states wins. >> the winner, mike eruzione. do you believe in miracles? yes! they score! zach parise.

>> for hockey families across the corrupt, the neighborhood rink is often a second home. carolyn man know is at the edge sportscenter in bedford, mass policy. carolyn, good afternoon. >> good afternoon. this is your typical sunday here at the rink, parents getting in the car, bringing their kids here to watch them skate. they're continue on into the afternoon and for the boys here, tear dreams of playing in the nhl are well established. they see their heroes play every day. for the girls, it's a very different story. playing professional hockey is a lot less glamorous. it's game day for the women of the boston blades. the first american team in the semi professional canadian women's hockey league. >> thank you. >> fortunately for the blades, today's game against toronto is at home where they're only facing a two-hour bus ride instead of the 12-hour ones they're used to. >> four-time olympian angela has experienced the sport at its

highest level. when the blades came calling, she didn't hesitate. >> i'm doing this. i'm getting on the bus. they're making ends meet so they can train for the sport they love. >> the blades are already a tight knit group in therrir inaugural season. hockey people are like that. once the puck drops though, the blades are all business, offering the crowd of almost 500 their biggest yet, a fast paced game, great passing and tenacious battles along the boards. >> forward liz keady, a former star at princeton, has no doubt about the appeal of the women's game. >> people come in and see it, they say, everyone from the fans to the players, like every time you see someone at a game or at a practice, you know they want to be there. that's really cool. >> something else that's cool? wowing the fans with a dramatic shoot-out victory. >> probably a little better than the real bruins. >> reporter: while the team colors take their cues from the

nhl, the blades deliberately chose bruin black and gold, that's where the similarities end. players sign autographs for everyone who wants one. >> so tine. >> i manage their own equipment. >> thanks for the sharp. >> and the reward for their win? pizza on the bus ride home. what the women of the cwhl do not get are paychecks yet. everyone's got a day job. annie ho gag from northeastern university is getting her tv career off the ground. like the rest of the blades, she sees building the foundation of women's professional hockey in the u.s. as a labor of love. >> you don't need a paycheck at the end of the day to play hockey. it's always nice to say that. you know, we were a part of it when it started. we might not be there getting the paychecks or when the rinks are sold out but we were part of it when it started. >> and they are starting something that is going to be put to very good use. i am joined by a very special guest.

her name is laura clements, the 100,000th member of usa hockey in the and under category. you look fak in your jersey today. tell me who you met today. do you remember? casey bellamy, right? >> yes. >> do you remember the other one? >> colleen. >> that's right. >> do you remember the last one? >> karen. >> stature, three olympians. was that fun? >> yeah. >> tell me what your favorite thing is about playing hockey. >> it is skating. >> yeah, you like to skate? why? >> because. skating is fun. >> really fun. you did a great job. can i get a high five? okay, lauren and a lot of other kids here skating today are benefiting from usa hockey's american development model. it is tailored for specific age

groups to make sure that they get the most out of the sport they love. liam? >> all right, carolyn. thanks so much. a lot of people probably don't know this, but mike got your start in coaching women, colgate. >> first women's program at colgate. it was one of the best coaching experiences i had. these people actually listened. it wasn't like some of the men i had later on. it was fun. >> you have no idea how good you had it. all downhill from there. the good news as i mentioned before, this is just the beginning of a huge day of hockey and we have got you covered. hockey is in our crosshairs from coast to coast, particularly in the four cities where we'll cover games today. it begins in buffalo where the kids took advantage of winter weather for outdoor skating this weekend. in the southern part of new york state, the rangers and some of their notable alumni skated at the ring in central park yesterday in anticipation of today's match-up with

philadelphia. minnesota calls itself the state of hockey. the wild practiced outdoors for the first time in team history saturday. at millennium park in chicago, yesterday blackhawks fans got to skate with some of the reigning stanley cup champs. at millenniu with the champs. safe driver, online, homeowner's -- more discounts than ever before. and they still get great service. ♪ ow! [ disco music plays ] ♪ whoa, yeah is it just me, or is it getting funky in here, huh? get your groove on, y'all! catch you on the flip side! i'd tell him the sign's not finished, but it would just break his funky little heart. more discounts, more ways to save. now,icy.toda s call or click today. even newer -- ohhhhhhh! [ lecturer ] everything else is obsolete. i just bought this one! ♪ ♪ what the...! ♪ 3d! 3d!

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every hln megarfo ou yn o nbc has more fans on facebook. become a fan on >> great win, guys. what should we do to celebrate? ? >> mcdonald's. >> today's coverage of "hockey day in america" is presented by >> thanks a lot, mom. >> you're welcome, guys. ♪ we're loving it. >> as we've already seen for many americans, hockey isn't just a way of life.

it is life. and now in one of washington, d.c.'s poorest neighborhoods, it's changing lives. >> he learned to play the game when his dad was stationed in canada in world war ii. now 73, neil henderson has used hockey as an avenue of opportunity for three decades. bringing up lasting hope to the troubled world of southeast d.c. >> single ference families. indigent type living conditions. people who really can't afford to have their children participate financially in a program like this. because if they could pay, they'd end up not having food. so these programs like mine and others help to educate, to give a chide a clean loveable environment. >> good, keep your head up.

>> when that child hits that door, he belongses to me. >> what's all that extra noise over there. >> when he leaves outs of that door, he belongs to you. that's just all i have. my word goes. it is the one thing you're going to do is follow my word. >> glad to see all of you out today. one of the things that i always say, you never know who's watching. >> during our meetings, he talks about hard work, how we did in the practice. >> you did some good plays out there tonight, man. >> i think it does make me a better student in school because lots of times he tells you if you're not doing good in school, you can't play. >> in a sense, it keeps people out of trouble but at the same time it's just a fun place to be. >> if you can play ice hockey, you can do anything. how can reading a book be so hard? >> you go get a good mark on it?

>> yeah. >> that's what i want to hear. >> the success of the hockey club has allowed the kids to share some, well, unique opportunities. >> besides teaching the kids a few moves, they stress the importance of staying in school and leading active and healthy lifestyles. i understand we've got some of those young players from washington, d.c. and pittsburgh here with us. go ahead and wave, guys. there you go. >> everything, going on trips, meeting the president. i feel like i'm the best boy if the world because i've been doing all this stuff and i'm only 11. >> 95% graduation rate i have go to college. 95%. i'm very, very happy and proud of that. >> my plans are to ultimately become a writer and a reporter, as well. >> i want to go to princeton and new jersey. i don't know anything about the future but hope's going to be good. >> while henderson has awakened som