Tennessee State and the NHL have been exploring a route to be the first Historically Black College or University to field an NCAA hockey team at the Division I level. President Gloria Glover may just turn that into a reality.

The NHL and its player association have been setting up Tennessee State's pursuit of a hockey team since 2021. President Gloria Glover has now decided that it may be time to start all of this off as they prepare for a big announcement, Ryan Clark of ESPN.

 

Tennessee State's president discussed how important all of this is for them in a statement, via William Douglas of the NHL.

“The idea of establishing a collegiate hockey program at TSU is a tremendous opportunity as the nation's first HBCU to take on this endeavor. This allows us to expand the sport, increase diversity and introduce a new fan base,” Gloria Glover said.

Even NHL Vice President Kevin Westgarth backs up TSU as they venture into the new territory of NCAA Hockey.

“Through their passion and track record, [TSU] will be able to create another success story for other schools and communities to chase and ideally emulate. Pair that with our incredible community, our fan base, and wealth of community and corporate partners, and we will collectively take Smashville and our sport to new heights because of their pursuit of excellence on all fronts,” the NHL executive declared.

It will be a long and grueling road to a National Championship or even a Frozen Four berth. However, TSU has all the passion and backing they will need to succeed.