USA Hockey

This article is about the organization founded 1937. For the 1920–1925 entity, see United States Amateur Hockey Association.

USA Hockey is the national ice hockey organization in the United States. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee as the governing body for organized ice hockey in the United States and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation.^[1][2][3] Before June 1991, the organization was known as the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States (AHAUS).

USA Hockey

Association name	USA Hockey
Founded	October 29, 1937; 86 years ago (1937-10-29)
IIHF membership	March 22, 1947 (1947-03-22)
President	Mike Trimboli
IIHF men's ranking	4
IIHF women's ranking	1
www.usahockey.com

The organization is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Its mission is to promote the growth of ice hockey in the U.S.^[2] USA Hockey programs support and develop players, coaches, officials, and facilities. USA Hockey also has junior ice hockey and senior ice hockey programs, and supports a disabled ice hockey program. USA Hockey provides certification programs for coaches and officials.^[4] Members of the organization receive a subscription to USA Hockey Magazine.^[5]

History

The Amateur Hockey Association of the United States (AHAUS) was founded on October 29, 1937, in New York City by Tommy Lockhart.^[2] When he first started operating AHAUS, the paperwork fit into a shoebox in his apartment.^[6][7][8] The need for a national governing body for hockey came from the desire to efficiently manage the growing game of ice hockey, rather than having several different groups which included the Amateur Athletic Union.^[9]

In September 1938, Lockhart reached signed an agreement with W. G. Hardy of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) which regulated international games in North America, set out provisions for transfer of players between the organizations, and recognized of each other's authority.^[10] In 1940, he led AHAUS into a union with the CAHA by establishing the International Ice Hockey Association, and served as its vice-president.^[11] AHAUS was admitted as a member of the Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace in 1947, being recognized as the international governing body of hockey in the United States instead of the Amateur Athletic Union which was previously recognized by the IIHF.^[12]

Lockhart established the first national ice hockey tournaments for pre-high school boys in 1949.^[9] He announced the establishment of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame on May 19, 1968, to be located in the town of Eveleth, Minnesota.^[13] Lockhart was succeeded as president by William Thayer Tutt in 1972.^[14]

Executive personnel

Presidents

• Tommy Lockhart (1937–1972)
• William Thayer Tutt (1972–1986)
• Walter Bush (1986–2003)^[15]
• Ron DeGregorio (2003–2015)^[15]
• Jim Smith (2015–2021)
• Mike Trimboli (2021–present)

Executive directors

• Hal Trumble (1972–1987)
• Bob Johnson (1987–1990)
• Baaron Pittenger (1990–1993)
• Dave Ogrean (1993–1999)
• Doug Palazzari (1999–2005)
• Dave Ogrean (2005–2017)
• Pat Kelleher (2017–present)

Director of hockey operations

• Jim Johannson (2000–2018)^[16]

Coaching directors

• Ken Johannson (1970–1978)^[17]
• Lou Vairo (1978–1984)^[18]
• Dave Peterson (c. 1980s–1997)^[19]

Chief medical officers

• George Nagobads (1984 to 1992)^[20]
• Michael Stuart (c. 2000s)^[21]

Hall of fame

Main article: United States Hockey Hall of Fame

Structure

Playing levels

Until 2016, USA Hockey used division names such as Mite, Squirt, and Pewee in their youth levels and to indicate the age level of the players.^[22] Starting with the 2016–17 season, USA Hockey started using divisions labeled with the oldest age in the group.^{[citation needed]}

Districts

 

Map of USA Hockey districts

USA Hockey has divided its control into geographical youth districts as follows:^[23]

Atlantic

• Eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware

Central

• Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska

Massachusetts

Michigan

Mid-American

• Ohio, Indiana, Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky

Minnesota

New England

• Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire

New York

Northern Plains

• Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming

Pacific

• California, Hawaii, Nevada, Alaska, Oregon, Washington

Rocky Mountain

• Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Texas, Oklahoma, Utah, New Mexico

Southeastern

• Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland

National teams

• Men's national team
• Men's U20 national team
• Men's U18 national team
• Women's national team
• Women's U18 national team
• National inline hockey team
• National sledge hockey team

National Team Development Program

Main article: USA Hockey National Team Development Program

USA Hockey also operates the National Team Development Program, based in Plymouth, Michigan. The program's goal is to prepare student-athletes under the age of 18 for participation on U.S. national teams and continued success throughout their future hockey careers.^[24] The NTDP consists of two teams; the U.S. National Under-18 Team, and the U.S. National Under-17 Team.^[25] The teams compete in the United States Hockey League in addition to playing NCAA colleges and in International competition. Until 2009, the NTDP competed in the North American Hockey League. Numerous NTDP alumni have gone on to play in the NHL. In the 2012–13 season, 60 former NTDP players suited up for NHL teams. In the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, six first-round selections (including no. 1 pick Erik Johnson) were former members of the NTDP. In 2007, four NTDP members were selected in the first round, with Patrick Kane and James van Riemsdyk going 1st and 2nd overall respectively. Through 2013, some 228 NTDP players had been selected in the NHL Entry Draft. The NTDP plays home games at USA Hockey Arena.

International participation by year

2017

Event	Division	Host nation	Date	Result
Men	Top	Germany /   France	May 5–21, 2017	Lost quarterfinals (5th overall)
Men U20	Top	Canada	December 26, 2016 – January 5, 2017	Champion (1st overall)
Men U18	Top	Slovakia	April 13–23, 2017	Champion (1st overall)
Women	Top	United States	March 31–April 7, 2017	Champion (1st overall)
Women U18	Top	Czech Republic	January 7–14, 2017	Champion (1st overall)
Inline	Top	Slovakia	June 24–July 2, 2017	Champion (1st overall)

2018

Event	Division	Host nation	Date	Result
Men	Top	Denmark	May 4–20, 2018	Bronze medal (3rd overall)
Men U20	Top	United States	December 26, 2017 – January 5, 2018	Bronze medal (3rd overall)
Men U18	Top	Russia	April 19–29, 2018	Runner-up (2nd overall)
Women U18	Top	Russia	January 6–13, 2018	Champion (1st overall)
Winter Olympics and Paralympics
Men		South Korea	February 14–25, 2018	7th place
Women			February 10–22, 2018	Gold medal
Sled hockey			March 10–18, 2018	Gold medal

2019

Event	Division	Host nation	Date	Result
Men	Top	Slovakia	May 10–26, 2019	Lost quarterfinals (7th overall)
Men U20	Top	Canada	December 26, 2018 – January 5, 2019	Runner-up (2nd overall)
Men U18	Top	Sweden	April 18–28, 2019	Bronze medal (3rd overall)
Women	Top	Finland	April 4–14, 2019	Champion (1st overall)
Women U18	Top	Japan	January 6–13, 2019	Runner-up (2nd overall)

2020

Event	Division	Host nation	Date	Result
Men	Top	Switzerland	May 8–24, 2020 Cancelled	-
Men U20	Top	Czech Republic	December 26, 2019 – January 5, 2020	Lost quarterfinals (6th overall)
Men U18	Top	United States	April 16–26, 2020 Cancelled	-
Women	Top	Canada	March 31–April 10, 2020 Cancelled	-
Women U18	Top	Slovakia	December 26, 2019 – January 2, 2020	Champion (1st overall)

Chipotle-USA Hockey Nationals

USA Hockey has conducted the country’s ice hockey national championship tournaments since 1938, with teams from all across the United States crowned champions across various classifications.^[26] The 2022 Chipotle-USA Hockey National Championships crowned champions at 25 different classifications, across nine different host sites across the country. Champions represented 17 different states.^[27]

References

1. Kirsch, George B.; Harris, Othello; Nolte, Claire Elaine (1 January 2000). Encyclopedia of Ethnicity and Sports in the United States. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313299117. Retrieved 14 December 2016 – via Google Books.
2. "American hockey has come a long way since 1980s miraculous gold". CBS. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
3. "USA Hockey encourages kids with NHL dreams to play other sports - ESPN The Magazine". Espn.co.uk. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
4. "Coaching Certification". Retrieved 1 April 2020.
5. "Alliance for Audited Media Snapshot Report - 6/30/2013". Retrieved 2 February 2014.
6. Allen, Kevin (2011) Star-Spangled Hockey
7. Thompson, Harry (2015–2016). "Digger: A Lifetime Of Leadership". USA Hockey Magazine. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
8. "Hockey Talk" (PDF). USA Hockey. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
9. "Thomas F. Lockhart". United States Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
10. "Canadian-U.S. Amateur Hockey Pact Is Signed". Lethbridge Herald. Lethbridge, Alberta. 6 September 1938. p. 13. 
11. Clarke, Robert (16 April 1940). "New Controlling Body Formed At C.A.H.A. Meet". Winnipeg Free Press. Winnipeg, Manitoba. p. 15. 
12. "C.A.H.A. Gains Few Points At Prague Hockey Confab". Winnipeg Tribune. Winnipeg, Manitoba. 22 March 1947. p. 33. 
13. "Eveleth Site Of Hockey Hall of Fame". Fergus Falls Daily Journal. Fergus Falls, Minnesota. 20 May 1968. p. 8. 
14. "WILLIAM THAYER TUTT". US Hockey Hall. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
15. Morreale, Mike (13 December 2015). "'Tireless worker' DeGregorio lifted USA Hockey". NHL.com. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
16. "Jim Johannson Passes Away". USA Hockey. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
17. Feldman, Jason (5 December 2018). "Hockey: Johannson lived to give back to the game he loved". Associated Press News. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
18. Allen, Kevin (2011). Star-Spangled Hockey: Celebrating 75 Years of USA Hockey. Chicago, Illinois: Triumph Books. ISBN 9781633190870 – via Internet Archive.
19. Weiner, Jay (7 February 1988). "1988 Calgary Winter Olympics: Steady as he goes, this isn't the Dave Peterson show". Star Tribune. Minneapolis, Minnesota. p. 1P.; Weiner, Jay (7 February 1988). "Peterson (continued)". Star Tribune. Minneapolis, Minnesota. p. 10P.
20. "Dr. V. George Nagobads". United States Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 8 July 2021.; "Dr. V. George Nagobads". United States Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
21. Kennedy, Megan (18 February 2016). "Seen & Heard: Physician, 'hockey dad' sticking up for the sport". Post-Bulletin. Rochester, Minnesota. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
22. "2016 - 17 SEASON AGE CLASSIFICATIONS" (PDF). USA Hockey. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
23. "USA Hockey Districts & Affiliates". USAHockey.com. 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
24. Kennedy, Ryan. "How USA Hockey went from failure to hockey factory - The Hockey News". Retrieved 16 November 2016.
25. "USA Hockey's National Team Development Program". USAHockey.com. 2009. Retrieved 4 May 2009.
26. "2024 Host Sites Announced For Chipotle-USA Hockey National Championships". USAHockey.com. 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
27. "Champions Crowned at Chipotle-USA Hockey National Championships". USAHockey.com. 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2022.

External links

• USA Hockey website
• U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame
• United States Hockey Hall of Fame Museum
• Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award
• USA Hockey official publication