Philadelphia to celebrate Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation Day on Saturday with free public ice skating

Mayor Kenney will make a proclamation that the city will observe Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation Day in Philadelphia on Saturday, which would have been Snider's 85th birthday.

The proclamation ceremony at City Hall, originally scheduled for Friday, was moved to Saturday because of the weather.

Snider, the Flyers' co-founder, died in 2016 after a long battle with bladder cancer.

The community can visit one of the city's five public skating rinks Saturday and participate in a series of activities that honor Snider's legacy.

There will be free public skating Saturday at these venues:

— The Scanlon Ice Rink (1099 E. Tioga St.) from 1 to 3 p.m.
— The Simons Ice Rink (7200 Wolston Ave.) from 1 to 2:30 p.m. and 3 to 4:30 p.m
— The Laura Sims Skate House (63rd and Walnut Streets) from 3 to 5 p.m. and 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
— The Tarken Ice Rink (6250 Frontenac St.) from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

There also will be a tournament for 9-year-old hockey players from all five city-owned rinks at the Simons Recreation Center beginning at 9 a.m.

Snider created Snider Hockey in 2005 to teach children life lessons. The mission of the foundation is to build lives and unite communities, and the program — which targets inner-city boys and girls — includes more than 3,000 students.

"Ed Snider had the vision to build lives and unite communities through the sport of hockey," said Scott Tharp, president of Snider Hockey.

In a statement, Kenney said Snider Hockey "provides high-quality after-school programming for thousands of children in our region. The declaration of Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation Day is a testament to the power of Ed Snider's enduring legacy, not only in providing us with great Philadelphia sports franchises but in our communities."