Television newsman Mark Hayes knew one thing about hockey when his son, Malcolm, first laced on a pair of skates: That he didn't know anything about hockey.
Today, Malcolm Hayes, 19, is a freshman left wing on the University of Maine Black Bears hockey team. Mark Hayes is a morning news anchor for WLWT television in Cincinnati and a former Howard University football player.
He and his wife, Latonya, have taken the journey that more and more minority parents are finding themselves on, guiding their children through a sport that they were rarely exposed to as kids growing up or seldom watched as adults.
Malcolm Hayes in action for Maine's Black Bears. Hockey was a learning experience for his dad, a former Howard University football player.
Popeye Jones knows how Hayes felt. Jones, who was a forward for six National Basketball Association teams over 11 seasons, wasn't quite sure what to do when his sons, including Seth, became serious about hockey.
Playing for the NBA Denver Nuggets at the time, the 6-foot-8 Popeye approached 5-foot-11 Joe Sakic, the great Colorado Avalanche center, one day for advice.
Popeye followed Sakic's advice. Today, Seth Jones is a smooth-skating – and tall – defenseman for the Nashville Predators.
The Hayes family quickly learned and went all-in on a team sport that perhaps requires more from families in terms of time, travel, expense and support than football, baseball or basketball.
WLWT anchorman and proud hockey papa Mark Hayes learned the game by watching son Malcolm play.
Moving to Atlanta and playing football in the sunny South only cemented Malcolm's desire to become a hockey player.
As Malcolm's love for hockey grew, so did Mark's. But sometimes the father felt frustration from being unable to coach or share tips with his youngest son.
Mark's oldest son, Kenny Hayes, followed in his father's cleats and was a wide receiver for Howard University's Bisons. He graduated in 2011.
Recruited as a defenseman, Malcolm Hayes adds scoring punch for Maine as left wing.
His frustration eased when he learned one valuable lesson by watching Malcolm practice and play: It takes a village – and some serious extra coaching – to build a good hockey player.
For eight years in Atlanta, the family had former New York Islanders left wing Yan Kaminsky work as Malcolm's skating coach and Scott Pearson, a 1988 Toronto Maple Leafs first-round draft pick, as his skills coach.
University of Maine's Malcolm Hayes.
The extra practice paid off. Malcolm went on to play hockey at Cushing Academy, a Massachusetts prep school that's produced several National Hockey League players including Arizona Coyotes defenseman Keith Yandle, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian, and Boston Bruins defensive prospect David Warsofsky.
After one season at Cushing, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound Hayes accepted a scholarship at Maine."Malcolm Hayes provides our team tremendous size, explosive power, and a significant offensive upside," Black Bears Head Coach Red Gendron said in July.
Gendron was so high on Hayes's offensive skills that he moved the freshman from the blue line to left wing earlier this season. He tallied four goals, two assists, and 34 penalty minutes in 29 regular season games for the Hockey East's Black Bears.