Christie Burns

1 month ago | usahockey.com | USA Hockey |Dan Scifo |Steve Drumwright |Christie Burns

At the 2025 USA Winter Meeting, the concept of a USA Hockey National Development League was presented at a Town Hall meeting. It was emphasized that the concept was “under construction” and that continued conversations with constituent groups would be taking place ahead of formal legislation being submitted.

1 month ago | usahockey.com | USA Hockey |Dan Scifo |Steve Drumwright |Christie Burns

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – More than 8,000 children across the United States had the opportunity to try hockey for the first time last Saturday (Feb. 22) during the second of this season’s national USA Hockey Try Hockey For Free days. USA Hockey’s Try Hockey For Free, presented by Discover, is an initiative focused on providing an opportunity for kids across the country to try the sport of hockey without cost.

1 month ago | usahockey.com | USA Hockey |Dan Scifo |Steve Drumwright |Christie Burns

EAGLE RIVER, Wis. – The 2025 USA Hockey Pond Hockey National Championships took place on Dollar Lake in Eagle River, Wis., from Feb. 7-9. Some 200 teams and roughly 1,400 players took the ice during the 18th iteration of the annual event. This year marked the tournament’s return to Dollar Lake for the first time since 2022, and the scenic views set the stage for a weekend-long celebration of hockey. Teams across 19 divisions played over 350 games over the three-day event.

1 month ago | usahockey.com | Dan Scifo |Steve Drumwright |Christie Burns |Heather Rule

Wayne Whitmore has witnessed a hockey revolution throughout the last 15 years in the South Florida area. The Florida Panthers 2024 Stanley Cup championship has only helped grownthe interest in the sport, as the team’s new practice facility — the Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale — hosted its second Try Hockey for Free, presented by Discover, event on Feb. 22. “We’ve seen a large increase in kids wanting to play hockey,” said Whitmore, the youth hockey manager at the rink.

1 month ago | usahockey.com | Steve Drumwright |Christie Burns |Dan Scifo |Heather Rule

Gillian Jackson didn’t start playing hockey until she was 11 years old. Until then, she didn’t know the sport existed, even in a metro Philadelphia area where hockey is a pretty popular activity. Even when she did begin skating, she mainly kept to herself. But hockey put her on an unexpected pathway to success. “When I started, I was terrified and I was an extremely shy kid, barely said five words when I first started in the program and now I’m running an entire rink,” Jackson said.