Two boys from the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation (ESYHF) will compete in the first-ever Hasek’s Heroes Willie O’Ree Skills Showcase in Buffalo, NY, from Friday, March 20 through Sunday, March 22. This weekend is part of the National Hockey League’s “Hockey is for Everyone” campaign. The ESYHF participants, who have never been on an airplane before, will also attend the Philadelphia Flyers at Buffalo Sabres game at the HSBC Arena on Friday, March 20 at 7 p.m.

Eddie Kulb, 16, of the Kensington section of Philadelphia, and Nick Wilson, 13, of the Carroll Park section of West Philadelphia, will represent the more than 2,500 ESYHF participants and compete in skating, passing, and shooting competitions with participants from other NHL diversity programs in this three-day competition. The two participants were selected for their outstanding commitment to their off-ice, in-classroom honors.

“We are thrilled to be able to deliver once-in-a-lifetime opportunities such as these to our participants,” said Snider. “These two young men are very deserving of this honor, and we are very excited to see them compete with others from around the NHL.”

Kulb, 10th grade student at the Charter High School for Architecture and Design, has been participating with the ESYHF since the summer of 2007. He participates at the Scanlon Rink in Kensington. He was recently named an “ESYHF Champion” after completing a research project on off-ice fitness and strength training.

Wilson, an eighth grade student at the Beeber Middle School, has participated with the ESYHF since the fall of 2007. His home rink is the Laura Sims Skate House in Cobbs Creek Park. He is the captain of the ESYHF Bantam squad.

As part of the weekend, Kulb and Wilson, along with ESYHF Vice President Jim Britt, who is serving as a chaperone, will visit the Albright Knox Art Gallery and dine at LaNova’s Pizza and sample their famous Buffalo Wings.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009