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Volume 4 Issue 10
September 28, 2016
USA HOCKEY MOURNS PASSING OF
WALTER L. BUSH, JR.
One of the most recognized and respected leaders in hockey worldwide, Walter L. Bush, Jr., passed away on Thursday, September 22nd at the age of 86.

USA Hockey's co-chairman of the board, former president and namesake of USA Hockey's national headquarters - The Walter L. Bush, Jr., Center - in Colorado Springs, Colo., Bush played an integral role in the growth of hockey in the United States since beginning his service for the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States in 1956.

"Walter Bush has been the single most influential person in the development and evolution of the structure of amateur hockey in the United States," said Ron DeGregorio, co-chairman of the board of USA Hockey. "He was a leader in the Olympic movement and his passion for sport was evident each and every day. We'll miss him dearly, in particular his wisdom and wit."

Walter's a big reason why our sport is as strong as it is today," said Jim Smith, president of USA Hockey. "He's been a mentor to so many, including myself. USA Hockey and the sport overall are so much better because of Walter Bush."

"Walter's passing is a tremendously sad moment not only for our organization, but for the entire hockey community," said Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey. "He helped create opportunities for so many because of his unending passion and commitment to advancing our sport. He'll be missed more than words can describe and our heartfelt condolences go out to his family." FULL ARTICLE>>

A memorial service in celebration of his life will be held Tuesday, Oct. 4, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Patrick's Church in Edina, MN.
AHAI NEWS & INFORMATION
THE PHOTO OF THE MONTH CONTEST IS BACK!
Submit photos of your AHAI players' wicked slapshots, dekes, dangles and great saves...or of your kids just plain having fun playing hockey to AHAI's Photo of the Month contest.
 
Please send photos to Gretchen Cockey at gretchen@ahai2.org. Photos should include a brief caption along with player's name, their organization or club, and playing level. ALL photos will be posted on AHAI's Facebook Page, but 5 lucky photos will be featured in AHAI's e-newsletter, SNAPSHOT and receive an awesome AHAI Baseball Cap, Winter Hat or AHAI/Howies Hockey Tape T-shirt.
 
Photo submission deadline for the October Photo of the Month contest is Monday, October 17. AHAI will select the finalists; YOUR votes will select the Top 5! Voting will be conducted October 19-22; winners will be contacted via email and announced in the October 26th issue of SNAPSHOT!


COYNE TO SPEAK AT LEVEL 1 CEP CLINIC ON OCTOBER 2ND
Coaches, are you looking for a Level 1 AHAI/USA Hockey CEP clinic to attend? The Chicago Blackhawks will host a Level 1 Clinic on Sunday, October 2, 2016 at the United Center from 8:30am to 4:00pm. USA Olympian and 4-time World Champion, Kendall Coyne, will be speaking about her road to the Olympics and the impact of coaching on her career. Register TODAY as space is limited!  MORE INFORMATION>>
2016 COLLEGE NIGHT: A ROAD MAP TO HOCKEY AFTER HIGH SCHOOL
Mark Monday, October 10, 2016 on your calendar for AHAI's Annual College Night: A Road Map to Hockey after High School. This yearly event is a must for all High School Juniors (of course Sophomores and Seniors are welcome too). Don't miss this great opportunity to begin planning YOUR road to hockey after High School. Registration is NOW Open!  FULL ARTICLE>>
A STEP aHEAD HOSTS 3RD ANNUAL HOCKEY MOMS NIGHT AT THE UNITED CENTER
On Tuesday, September 13th the A Step aHead Program played host to nearly 400 hockey moms from all over Illinois. The 3rd annual event, which gave moms a chance to get away from the rink, tour the Blackhawks locker room and just have fun together, focused on concussion awareness and treatment. Featured presenter, Dr. Elizabeth Pieorth, a Board Certified Neuropsychologist and Associate Director of NorthShore University HealthSystem's Sports Concussion Program, stated, "We have now broadened the Moms' Night event to include other things related to the health of the youth hockey community like nutrition, knee injury, dynamic stretching, and equipment fitting. We want Moms to walk away with a good understanding of what to look for when someone has a concussion and how to handle it." Check out the Moms' Night video from Blackhawks TV and don't forget to register your player today for their FREE baseline test!
BE A STEP aHEAD! REGISTER TODAY!
Registration is now open through November 30, 2016. All AHAI players aged 11-18 years old are eligible for free baseline testing. The Association/Team that completes the most baseline tests will receive on on-ice clinic with a Chicago Blackhawks Alumni. Additionally, every athlete who completes a FREE baseline test this year will receive a baseball hat featuring the Blackhawks logo while supplies last. Please note that registration will be online ONLY, do not call Athletico directly.

Make sure to tweet a picture of your skater wearing their A Step aHead baseball hat to @AHAI_1 with the hashtag #AStepAHead! You could win a signed Jonathan Toews photo! Not on twitter? No problem, just email your photo to AHAI Communications Manager, Gretchen Cockey at gretchen@ahai2.org and we will tweet for you!
OFFICIATING NEWS & INFORMATION
OFFICIALS' CORNER: LETTER FROM MIKE BARRETT, ILLINOIS REFEREE-IN-CHIEF & SUPERVISOR OF OFFICIALS
I think we can all just agree right now that the sport of ice hockey is perhaps one of the most exciting and challenging games there ever was.  The sport combines skill, speed, strength and smarts for the purpose of skating, shooting and scoring.  And would anyone really have it any other way? As the Illinois Referee-in-Chief, however, I have observed that those same qualities which make our game great may also contribute to extreme emotional responses by coaches, players and fans. Every year, AHAI and IHOA receive reports from officials, spectators, coaches and players identifying conduct which is wholly inappropriate and sometimes resulted in physical confrontations among officials, players, coaches, parents or spectators.  In many of these confrontations, the police were called to the rink and/or the proper affiliate was notified and suspensions were handed down. FULL ARTICLE>>
DISABLED HOCKEY NEWS
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS BLIND HOCKEY TEAM TO HOST 3RD ANNUAL BLIND HOCKEY SUMMIT & TRAINING CAMP
The 3rd annual USA Hockey - Blind Ice Hockey Summit is being hosted by the Chicago Blackhawks Blind Hockey Team on October 22nd and 23rd, 2016. This year's event will be the biggest to date with players having already expressed interest from the Chicago Blackhawks Blind Hockey, New York Nightshade, Pittsburgh Penguins Blind Hockey, Washington Wheelers, and Vermont Whiteouts, as well as independent players not associated with any teams and players from Canada. FULL ARTICLE>>
NIHL NEWS
NIHL LAUNCHES MONTHLY NEWSLETTER!
NIHL is proud to announce we will be launching a monthly newsletter on Tuesday, October 18th. SUBSCRIBE TODAY! You won't want to miss the monthly Managers' Corner, team standings, important dates, Games of the Week, updates on girls and mites and of course the latest news and offers from the Chicago Wolves! We also encourage you to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter! Don't wait, text "NIHL" to 22828 to subscribe. READ MORE to find out what one lucky subscriber will win!
NIHL MITES KICK-OFF SEASON WITH JAMBOREES
Sunday, September 25th marked the first day of games for Mite Hockey in NIHL in 3 years and it couldn't have gone better. Sixteen (16) half-ice tiering round games were played at 3 locations; All Seasons Ice Rinks (Naperville), Center Ice of DuPage (Glen Ellyn), and Addison Ice Arena (Addison). The Jamboree format allowed each team to get two of their six tiering round games completed. Two more weekends of games will follow in October prior to seeding teams for the regular season. The Bronze division games were hosted at All Seasons Ice Rink, Center Ice of DuPage hosted the Silver Division and Addison Ice Arena played host to the Gold Division. In all, 16 teams participated in Sunday's Jamboree. READ MORE>>
HIGH SCHOOL NEWS
SKATING TRIBUTE TO LATE SANDBURG STAR DAVID DOLITSKY
By Ross Forman ~ It was Lane Tech battling Sandburg on Friday, Sept. 16, in the first game of the inaugural, five-team Lane Tech City Invitational. Sandburg ultimately won the back-and-forth overtime thriller, fittingly, as the three-day event was a tribute to a fallen Sandburg star. Hockey was the backdrop for an emotional weekend of pucks and hugs, power plays and prayers. Last June, according to Orland Park police, as reported by the Chicago Tribune, a 73-year-old man driving a 2009 Mercedes-Benz when he veered off the road, striking David Dolitsky who was mowing his grass at the time. The driver was unharmed, but David was rushed to Franciscan St. James Health hospital in Olympia Fields.  He was pronounced dead about two hours later. According to the medical examiner's office, he died of multiple blunt-force injuries. FULL ARTICLE>>
SCHOLASTIC DIVISION UPDATE
By Evan Poulakidas, SHL President ~ A handful of Scholastic League games took place over the past week. The "new kid" on the block, Carmel of Indiana, swept a two game series with Barrington by the scores of 6-2 and 6-1. Stevenson up ended Fenwick 2 times by the score of 4-3 in a shootout and 4-2. READ MORE>>
METRO GIRLS KICK-OFF SEASON
By Pam Flores ~ Happy hockey new year! The Metro Girls High School League season kicked off last weekend. The teams in the Metro Girls League include: Barrington, Evanston, Fenwick, Glenbrook, Lake Forest Academy, Lake Forest High School, Latin School of Chicago, Loyola Academy, Maine Township, New Trier Gold, New Trier Silver and Warren. READ MORE>>
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS NEWS & INFORMATION
BLACKHAWKS YOUTH HOCKEY HAS A NEW ADDRESS!
You can now find the Chicago Blackhawks Youth Hockey page under the Community Tab on the Chicago Blackhawks website. Check out all the exciting programs they have to offer this season. And, don't forget to follow them on Twitter and Instragram @bhyouthhockey! GO HAWKS!
SEE THE BLACKHAWKS LIVE
WITH AHAI
As part of our ongoing partnership with AHAI, the Blackhawks are pleased to offer AHAI members the opportunity to purchase Blackhawks tickets for select games during the first half of the 2016-17 season. Receive $5 off of tickets purchased in the 300 level. There is a 4 ticket limit (4 tickets to one game or 2 tickets to 2 games). To purchase tickets from a desktop computer, Click HERE and enter the promo code AHAI2016. The deadline to purchase is Monday, October 3rd, or while supplies last.
BLACKHAWKS INTERMISSION &
PRE-GAME SKATES
The registration process is open for the 2016-17 JuniorHawks and Intermission Skates. In order to participate in either event, your youth hockey team must be competing at the Mite or Squirt level.  Due to the limited quantity of on-ice dates at the United Center, the Chicago Blackhawks select all hockey teams at random for each home game. If you would like to enter your upcoming youth hockey team into the lottery process for either event, please click HERE for JuniorHawks and/or HERE for Intermission Skates.
PLAYERS, LEADERS & CLUBS IN THE NEWS
CONGRATULATIONS SPITFIRES & JAGUARS!
The Spitfires and the Jaguars emerged victorious as the Squirt and Peewee Division champs (respectively) during the 2016 Blackhawks Training Camp Festival 3v3 Street Hockey Tournament on Saturday, September 24th! Congratulations, teams!
Spitfires
Squirt Division Champions
Jaguars
Pee Wee Division Champions
MANHATTANVILLE CAPTAINS INCLUDE CHICAGO'S MAEVE O'BRIEN
The Manhattanville College women's ice hockey team announced their list of captains for the 2016-17 season this week, which include seniors Taryn Harris, Kayley Romano, Lindsay Diot, and junior Maeve O'Brien. Harris and Romano will serve as the team's captains, while Diot and O'Brien will serve as alternate captains. The group of captains combined for nine goals and 19 assists a year ago. READ MORE>>
JUNIOR HOCKEY NEWS
GAME DAY VOLUNTEERS WANTED!
The Chicago Bulldogs are in need of volunteers to help with game day operations for home games played at Canlan Ice Sports in Romeoville. Positions include: Scorekeeper, Scoreboard Operator, Goal Judge, Penalty Box Attendant and Ticket Cashier. For more information about becoming a volunteer, please contact Chris Dubiel at chrisdubiel@chicago.com.
CHICAGO COUGARS NEED YOUR HELP!
The Chicago Cougars are in the process of building a new locker room in honor of 2015-16 season Captain, Matt Olson, who suffered a life changing injury during a game on February 21, 2016. Matt's journey is well-documented, his determination to keep going forward is unwavering, and he is an inspiration to all! Click HERE to donate to this effort. A portion of the proceeds will go to Matt's Medical Fund.
UPCOMING EVENTS
ADMIRALS TO HOST A GIRLS TRY HOCKEY FOR FREE EVENT
Celebrate World Girls' Ice Hockey Weekend with the Admirals! Girls ages 5-15 are invited to come out for a free skate and hockey session on Saturday, October 8th at 6:20pm at Center Ice of DuPage. Click HERE for a complete list of all the fun activities planned! REGISTER NOW>>

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