New Feature: Adult hockey & youth hockey news roundup
(Rec hockey news: Week of Feb. 22-Feb. 26, 2021)
Youth Hockey, Russian Style
Youth hockey training in Russia includes full-contact fight practice, because of course it does
GolfDigest.com — Forget baseball and the U.S. and soccer and Brazil. Forget rugby in Scotland and cricket in Australia. There is no more symbiotic relationship between nation and sport on God’s beautiful green earth than hockey and Russia. The cold. The toughness. The anger. The violence. The insular reality forever at odds with world-dominating ambition. It’s the perfect fit and we don’t want to hear a peep out of you, Canada. Sit down and shut up.
But if you don’t believe us, we’re happy to provide some references. Exhibit A. The team that started handing out AK-47s as player-of-the-game trophies. Exhibit B. This new footage of youth hockey training in Russia, which places a heavy emphasis on the sports’ most important phase of play: Fighting. Read more
Backyard Bliss
HOME ICE: Father makes outdoor hockey surface for son to enjoy
Morrisonville, N.Y. — When Kyle Rock realized that his 10-year-old son Logan would likely miss out on a season of youth hockey due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he decided to bring the ice to Logan. Read more
The Great Outdoors
An Outdoor Hockey Game That for Once Is in the Great Outdoors
Stateline, Nev. — The N.H.L.’s previous 30 outdoor games have been played across the United States and Canada in football and baseball stadiums, with pageantry fitting of Fenway Park and Wrigley Field, and the triumphant ticket revenue of the Cotton Bowl and the University of Michigan’s Big House.
But with the coronavirus pandemic keeping fans away, the league returned to an idea it has had for many years: a game where the scenery becomes the star. Read more
Game Off
Barrington boys, Warwick girls drop out of hockey playoffs due to COVID-related concerns
Providence, R.I. —Two hockey teams have been eliminated from the postseason before they had a chance to play a game.
On the day the Rhode Island Interscholastic League’s boys and girls hockey playoffs were supposed to start, both the Barrington boys and Warwick Co-op girls teams dropped out of the postseason because of COVID-related concerns. Read more
Creating Opportunities for Black Youth Hockey Players
Pittsburgh Penguins Create ‘Willie O’Ree Academy’ To Provide Opportunities For Black Youth Hockey Players
Pittsburgh, Pa. (KDKA) – The Pittsburgh Penguins are creating an academy designed to provide opportunities to Black youth hockey players.
The Penguins created the Willie O’Ree Academy in honor of Willie O’Ree, who became the NHL’s first Black player in 1958 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 2018. Read more
The Nashville Way
Preds, Bridgestone, NHL Combine to Form Youth Hockey Diversity Program
Nashville, Tenn. — The game of hockey is not perfect.
Pucks and sticks and blades of steel on ice – it’s a sport in which outcomes are often impossible to predict, bounces seem to defy laws of physics and seconds of jubilation can quickly be replaced with moments of solace.
And yet, those who play the sport and watch the sport feel a sense of ownership, an undying love like the game is their own. That passion from those involved is what continues to push hockey forward, to make it something for everyone. Read more
Barriers Lifted
A barrier to traveling for youth hockey comes down
Buffalo, N.Y. (WIVB) — Another barrier to traveling youth hockey is coming down, now that a state judge has lifted travel restrictions for traveling teams.
State Health officials have designated amateur sporting events based on their ability to spread the coronavirus as low risk and higher risk.
Hockey falls into the “high risk” category, which also carries travel restrictions that can put some traveling teams’ seasons on the ice. Read more
Big Apple Rink Rift
Central Park Ice Rinks Remain Open Despite Rift With Trump
New York, N.Y. — “The Wollman and Lasker rinks will stay open under current management for the few weeks left in this season. But make no mistake, we will not …” Read more
Reno 411
Reno Ice quickly building community interest
Reno, Nev. — Reno Ice already offers a youth hockey program, an adult learn-to-play league and has plans to start another youth learn-to-play program in May. Even in a restrictive season, the early community impact of the local rink has quickly caught on. Read more
Pond Tournament Proud
Summit Youth Hockey proud of community effort to host pond tournament
Silverthorne, Colo. — At 6 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 21, clearing the ice sheets at North Pond Park in Silverthorne seemed like a daunting task after an overnight snow storm blanketed the pond hockey surfaces with several inches of powder, but the local hockey community came together to get things ready as parents, coaches and even some young players descended on the site of the 2021 Colorado Youth Pond Hockey Tournament. Read more
Gagner Giving Back
Red Wings’ Sam Gagner giving back to his Toronto youth hockey organization
Detroit, Mich. — Sam Gagner played his youth hockey for the Toronto Marlboros and cherished every aspect of it. So when an opportunity to get involved and give back to the organization presented itself recently, Gagner jumped at the chance. Read more
Iowa Expansion
Des Moines Buccaneers Expanding Hockey Opportunities in Iowa
Des Moines, Ia. — It would be easy to write a story around the premise ‘if you build it, they will come’ regarding the importance of American hockey and the state of Iowa. But Kevin Costner’s famous line in Field of Dreams doesn’t quite do service to the more than four decades of rich hockey history in the Hawkeye state. Read more
High-Risk Guidance
County releases rec, club high-risk sports guidance
Scarsdale, N.Y. — As a follow-up to its guidelines on high-risk interscholastic athletics, the Westchester County Department of Health released documents pertaining to recreation and club sports Thursday, Feb. 11.
On Jan. 22, New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo approved high-risk sports as of Feb. 1 with local county DOH approval. Westchester County Executive George Latimer approved of the Feb. 1 start date on Wednesday, Jan. 27, but the DOH didn’t release the interscholastic guidelines until late in the day Feb. 2, when high-risk sports like football, volleyball, wrestling, cheerleading, basketball, ice hockey and boys lacrosse were already allowed to be played. Read more
Ice Removal
Kenora and Keewatin ice surfaces to be removed immediately
Kenora, Ont. — The City of Kenora has announced the official cancellation of the 2020/2021 ice season at both the Kenora Recreation Centre and Keewatin Memorial Arena. All organized sports have been put to a stop for the remainder of the season and the ice surface at the Kenora Rec Centre is set to be removed immediately. The surface will be utilized as a mass COVID-19 vaccination centre in conjunction with the Northwestern Health Unit. Read more
More rec hockey news as it happens. Stay tuned!
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