NHL's Chicago Blackhawks on Friday threw their first Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Showcase at the United Center to show students how to learn ice hockey with fun.

Some 8,000 students, most of whom came from Chicago's public schools, attended the event. Several players of the Blackhawks demonstrated some techniques of applying speed, energy and angles on the rink. Before the STEM, all students participated in scholar computer program named Future Goals or the Blackhawks' First Stride program at practice facility MB Ice Arena.

"As a former educator, I know how exciting it is for students to see what they're learning in the classroom translate to real life and to have a new experience of visiting the United Center and seeing the players in action. It really brings that math, science and engineering to life for them," said Meaghan Joyce, senior schools manager of EVERFI, the company that funded Future Goals.

Two forwards of the Blackhawks, Dylan Strome and Drake Caggiula showed students how to bank the puck off the side boards into miniature nets, just like what players did in the NHL All-Star Skills Competition.

"It's just teaching them some new stuff. I think I learned some stuff, too. Growing up, you don't really realize it does help you in the end. A simple thing as a bank pass; you don't think about that, but you learn angles somewhere, so you know where to pass it. When you're growing up, you're learning different things: miles per hour, speed, bank passes, angles. It's all built in your brain from a young age, so I guess it matters," said Strome.

Jamal Mayers, former NHL player and community liaison of the Blackhawks, hosted the STEM which he believed would become an unforgettable learning opportunity for students who never visited the United Center.

"An opportunity to introduce the STEM program and apply it to the game of hockey allows the kids a break from their normal curriculum and to come out and experience what the United Center is all about…interact and see the actual players out there performing things that happen in a game, that they can apply to their curriculum," said Mayers.

The Blackhawks were one of the "Original Six" teams of NHL. They won six Stanley Cups and 16 division championships since the team was founded in 1926. The team's latest title won was in the 2014-15 season when they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2.