USA Hockey Artwork

By Scott Lowe – MYHockeyRankings.com 

It’s Hockey Week Across America, and the timing is impeccable!

Join USA hockey in celebrating this great game we all love every day this week. There will be a unique way to appreciate hockey in the United States each day, starting on Monday, Feb. 17, with Team USA Day.

Coincidentally, Team USA is in action Monday night in Boston against Sweden in the Four Nations Faceoff. The U.S. beat Canada, 3-1, in a predictably intense battle Feb. 15 to lock up a berth in the first-year tournament’s championship game.

Monday’s round-robin finale can be viewed live on TNT or TruTV in the United States starting at 8 p.m. EST. Most games have been starting about 20 minutes after the scheduled broadcast time.

America’s opponent in Thursday’s inaugural championship game will be determined Monday. If Canada beats Finland in regulation at 1 p.m. it will be another North American Showdown Thursday at 8 p.m. in TD Bank Garden. But if the Canadians need extra time to win, either Sweden or Finland can advance. Finland also secures a title-game berth win a regulation victory.

To celebrate Team USA Day, American hockey fans can wear their favorite red, white and blue hockey gear and show their price by posting photos or videos of themselves and tagging @USAHockey on various social-media platforms. And don’t forget to use the #TEAMUSA hashtag.

USA Hockey also is asking fans to post their favorite USA Hockey memories on social media, again tagging @USAHockey and using the #TEAMUSA hashtag.

I’ll start, and of course I can’t just pick one.

My first USA Hockey memory is my 15-year-old son recording a hat trick and scoring the overtime game-winning goal in his first game at USA Hockey Nationals 11 years ago. The team was down by two late in the third period. He scored on a penalty shot to cut the lead to one and was on the ice in the final seconds with the goalie pulled as his team tied it. Then he roofed a backhand to win it in OT. An off-ice official handed him the puck and said it was one of the best individual performances he had ever seen.

That may not be exactly what USA Hockey is looking for, but it’s a special memory for our family for sure.  

Of course, because I’m old, memory No. 2 is the USA’s 1980 Miracle on Ice Olympic gold-medal win.

Oddly, I vividly remember the Sweden, Czechoslovakia and Finland games as well as the upset of the Soviets. Bill Baker’s goal vs. Sweden with the goalie pulled and 27 seconds left. The 7-3 dismantling of the powerful Czechs, and of course, the Eruzione snipe vs. the Soviets.

I also remember, like it was yesterday, a flat Team USA trailing after two periods in the gold-medal matchup against Finland – and being very nervous heading into the third period – only to see the team explode for three goals in the final 20 minutes. That was the game the late Herb Brooks told his team they would “take to your … grave” if they lost.

Then, of course, there was the medal ceremony and one final image and memory that none of us who witnessed it ever will forget.

There’s one other great USA Hockey memory I have from being in Williamsburg, Va., in 1996 and hunting high and low with a friend to find a bar with a satellite dish so we could watch the USA-Canada gold-medal game in the inaugural World Cup of Hockey. We finally found a spot, an empty hunting- and fishing-themed bar with a giant satellite dish next to a strip shopping center, and were able to watch the second half of the game along with one other interested customer.

We got there in time to witness a dramatic Team USA come-from-behind victory. While the drama played out, we had no idea the other person in the bar was Canadian until he stormed out angrily cursing when the game ended. He definitely muttered something about Brett Hull being a traitor on the way out the door. It took us a few minutes to process what had happened, but when we figured it out we shared a laugh with the bartender. 

Unfortunately, one of the greatest USA hockey wins of all time wasn’t seen by very many people south of the border. But times have changed as millions have watched Team USA in its first two Four Nations Faceoff contests against Sweden and Canada.

For all of us, here’s hoping for a North American rematch Thursday night.

#TEAMUSA

Hockey Week Across America was created by USA Hockey in 2008 to engage the United States’ hockey community in celebrating the sport at all levels and expose the game to new audiences. This week was intended to celebrate everything that is special about the game of hockey from coast to coast, and it culminates with Try Hockey for Free events nationwide on Saturday, Feb. 22.

Below is the complete daily schedule for Hockey Week Across America.

 

Monday, Feb. 17 – USA Day

Tuesday, Feb. 18 – Stick Salute Day

Stick Salute Day is intended to allow those of us who are involved in hockey at any level to salute the people behind the scenes who often are unnoticed but always go the extra mile to make the sport great for those who participate. It may be your team manager, your rink’s Zamboni driver, a local volunteer coach or anyone who goes out of their way to make the sport better.

USA Hockey will be saluting the many coaches, administrators and volunteers who have dedicated their lives to the sport and challenges American hockey players and enthusiasts to do the same by posting photos or videos saluting their personal hockey heroes on social media while tagging @USAHockey and using the #StickSaluteDay hashtag.

 

Wednesday, Feb. 19 – Hockey is for Everyone Day

It has long been USA Hockey’s mission to create a fun, comfortable and welcoming environment for anyone who wants to play hockey. While USA Hockey asks American hockey players and fans to tag @USAHockey on social media with stories recognizing someone who introduced them to hockey or how a local club made them feel welcome, the organization also will be celebrating by sharing stories from around the country of how hockey has positively impacted families and how local clubs and associations continue striving to introduce the game to more people every year.

Be sure to post any personal stories using the #HOCKEYISFOREVERYONE hashtag and also to share any ideas for how we can continue to make the sport more inclusive going forward.

 

Thursday, Feb. 20 – Volunteer Appreciation Day

Here at MYHockey Rankings, there absolutely is no way we could ever provide the service we do and rank more than 20,000 amateur teams from all over North America without the many volunteers who input scores and make sure our data is as current as possible. Likewise, youth hockey as we know it in the United States would cease to exist without the tireless efforts of the thousands of volunteers who donate their time to provide kids of all ages with the opportunity to play the sport they love in a safe and organized environment.

Feb. 20 is their day. USA Hockey will be recognizing its amazing volunteers and challenges American families to do the same by tagging @USAHockey on social media posts about the positive impact a hockey volunteer has had on their lives.

 

Friday, Feb. 21 – Hockey Jersey Day

Who doesn’t love a great hockey sweater? Is there any other sport with more recognizable jerseys that hockey? We think not, and this is the day to show them off to the rest of the world.

While this tends to be the day of Hockey Week Across American that draws the most interest and participation, it also can be the most difficult. No real hockey fan has just one jersey in his or her closet, so how do we decide which one to wear?

While the daily challenge is for hockey enthusiasts to wear their favorite jersey all day long, there is no rule against donning multiple variations throughout the day. Just be sure to post photos or videos on social media, tagging @USAHockey and using the #HOCKEYJERSEYDAY hashtag.

And don’t forget to check out USA Hockey’s  Facebook, X and Instagram accounts to see the beautiful jerseys others are rocking!

 

Saturday, Feb. 22 – Try Hockey for Free Day

Hundreds of rinks all over the United States will be holding free hockey clinics for children between the ages of 4 and 9 Feb. 22. Certified coaches and volunteers will be on hand to introduce the sport at no cost to anyone who would like to try it.

For players and families who have been involved with hockey, derived joy from participating and created lifetime memories, this is the day to invite friends out to give hockey a whirl. Maybe even offer to join them on the ice if they are hesitant.

CLICK HERE to find rinks that are participating in Try Hockey for Free Day. Photos and videos of kids playing for the first time are a requirement and should be shared via social media tagging @USAHockey and using the #TRYHOCKEY hashtag.

 

Sunday, Feb. 23 – Welcome to Hockey Day

A bunch of hockey first-timers are going to have a blast trying hockey for free Feb. 22, so now what? Now the rest of us get to welcome them to the family, so to speak.

This is an opportunity for American players and families who have been involved in the sport to provide advice or share stories about when they first tried hockey that might be helpful to the newbies. Maybe a young goalie put pads on backwards or another player couldn’t figure out the correct way to wear elbow or shoulder pads or another player hopped on the ice with skate guards still on.

Or maybe players and families can share stories about first games, first goals, first shutouts or first wins and how those experiences felt.

Nothing is too basic or too silly to share if it might help someone who is new to the sport, so this is an opportunity to provide guidance on social media while tagging @USAHockey and using the #WELCOMETOHOCKEY hashtag.

Hockey memories are the best memories, so don’t hold back!