Inspired by hours of waiting at the rink during his brother’s games and practices, Luke Graham started Rink Dude, an effort to grow the game and make it more accessible to all.
Photo courtesy of Niki Grahame
Before lacing up his skates and hitting the ice this season, 8-year-old Luke Grahame had to spend his days waiting at the rink while his brothers started their seasons. His boredom in the stands paid off, though, inspiring him to create Rink Dude.
Rink Dude is Luke’s new brand, which he founded with his mother Niki, dedicated to raising money to help make hockey more accessible. Luke sells merch — like hats, stickers, water bottles, sweatshirts and more — to raise money for organizations that make hockey accessible to more kids, like Hockey Unlimited and United Heroes League
The name was born out of Luke’s frustration waiting for his season to start, while still spending every day at the rink with his brothers as they practiced. Luke still plays 8U, with a shorter season than his older brothers, who both play in the Arapahoe Warriors league as well.
“I was getting to the rink, like, every single day, morning to noon,” Luke said. “Then right when we got home from the rink, we had to eat and then go to bed. I didn’t get to do anything else than that.”
Spending all his time at the rink, waiting for his season to start, Luke expressed frustration, telling his mom he was tired of just being “a rink dude.” Niki liked the phrase and started to look into making a “Rink Dude” hat for her son. When she realized it was much easier to get the merch in bulk, Niki saw the opportunity to build something bigger — and help give Luke something to do at the rink.
Now, during his brothers’ hockey tournaments, Luke sets up a Rink Dude stand, selling merch and taking donations. So far, Luke has helped raise around $12,000, with $4,000 going to Hockey Unlimited — an organization that helps low-income kids play hockey — and $8,000 going to United Heroes League, a nonprofit that helps keep military members’ kids active in sports.
“Rink Dude helps other kids afford to play hockey, because some kids can’t afford to play hockey,” Luke said.
Niki added that Rink Dude was a way to be productive while spending time at the rink, which adds up quickly with three sons playing hockey.
“Rink Dude is a way to utilize the time at the rink, to give back and pay it forward to other families with kids that really want to play hockey, and it’s not an option for them,” Niki said. “It’s just utilizing our time and making it something better, bigger than us.”
The Grahame family is no stranger to the game. Luke’s father, John, was a goalie in the NHL, playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning when they won the Stanley Cup in 2004. Luke’s grandfather, Ron, was also a goalie in the NHL, playing with a variety of teams, including the Quebec Nordiques. Luke’s grandmother has played her part in the league as well, working for the Colorado Avalanche for 28 years; she was with the team as they won the cup in 1996 and 2001.
Luke’s family hockey history runs deep, with his father and grandfather previously playing in the NHL, and his grandmother working for the Colorado Avalanche.
Photo courtesy of Niki Grahame
Part of Luke’s family history helped inspire the push to give back. When his father John was a youth player, his family couldn’t afford to buy new goalie pads for him. Someone else in the hockey community gave the family new pads, helping John to continue his hockey career that would one day lead to the NHL.
“Running Rink Dude makes me feel happy because I’m helping other kids,” Luke said. “My grandparents couldn’t afford hockey pads, and one of my grandpa’s friends gave him some pads. That’s kind of like what I’m doing, but different.”
For Niki, helping her son run Rink Dude has been a chance to give back as well.
“Hockey is just so expensive, more so than other sports,” Niki said. “It’s nice to give kids the opportunity if their parents can’t buy equipment, or they can’t afford to sign them up for the season or be on a team, just to be able to take that off of their lap, and be able to help those families so that they can play the sport too. We just believe hockey is a family and we should help each other.”
During tournaments, Niki said kids flock to the Rink Dude table, shocked to see someone their age running a stand. Luke is always the face of Rink Dude, with his mother there to lend a helping hand. Kids will chat with Luke about what he’s doing, then bring their parents back to make a donation or pick up a sticker.
Luke has even run coloring contests during tournaments, giving out coloring sheets to his fellow “Rink Dudes” as they watch their siblings play, and giving away stickers to kids who participated in the coloring contest. He’s taken the lead with what to sell at the stands as well, selling tennis balls to his fellow Rink Dudes looking for something to pass the time.
In January, Rink Dude will be expanding with Rink Dudette — a character based on Luke’s cousin, who also plays hockey. Niki said there had been a lot of interest from girls in Rink Dude, and they wanted to expand the brand to be more inclusive.
“If we can grow the game for girls, and also provide opportunities for girls who can’t afford it, and just kind of give more attention to the girls program, encouraging girls to play would really be our goal,” Niki said. “Girls have been really drawn to Rink Dude, but then they look at Rink Dude and they’re like, ‘Well, I want one that looks like me.’”
In the future, Niki wants to expand the organization as well, having other kids serve as ambassadors, becoming Rink Dudes and setting up stands to get donations at other rinks. She wants Rink Dude to be a chance for kids to make a difference, and not just feel like they’re sitting at a rink while their siblings play.
Niki said she’s been following Luke’s lead, letting him choose what to sell as they grow Rink Dude and give back to the hockey community.
Photo courtesy of Niki Grahame
“We’re trying to make it a little more positive,” Niki said. “You’re not just a Rink Dude, you’re doing something for other kids too. It’s really the kids helping kids.”
Although Rink Dude is still only weeks old, as it continues to expand, Niki said she wants to help spread the values her husband learned from the older generations of hockey players, that hockey is more than just a competition.
“John was raised with that mentality of just being respectful of the game and helping each other out,” Niki said. “Of course, competition is good, but it’s not everything. I’m just hoping that kids learn that everyone should have the opportunity to play if they want to.”
As the season goes on, Luke will be growing the game both on and off the ice with Rink Dude.
“I think sometimes the message with hockey is that it’s all about winning and having the best players,” Niki said. “To us, it’s about growing the game, having fun, being a family and helping each other. So we’re just trying to bring back that energy of the game.”