COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The ninth annual Hockey Weekend Across America concluded Sunday (Feb. 21) and was a success by all accounts. The nationwide event, which took place Feb. 19-21, was a three-day celebration of hockey that included hundreds of thousands of fans wearing their favorite hockey jerseys, 12,000 boys and girls trying hockey for the first time all across the nation, millions of viewers watching NBC’s Hockey Day in America broadcast, and the celebration of local hockey heroes in communities throughout the country.
“This year’s Hockey Weekend Across America was another fantastic celebration of our game,” said Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey. “Among the many highlights of the weekend, it was terrific to see a record number of new kids and families have the chance to experience hockey for the very first time.”
Each of the three days associated with Hockey Weekend Across America had a theme, including “Wear Your Favorite Jersey Day” on Friday (Feb. 19), sponsored by ShopUSAHockey.com; “Try Hockey Day” on Saturday (Feb. 20), sponsored by the NHL; and “Celebrate Local Hockey Heroes Day” on Sunday (Feb. 21).
On Friday, fans were encouraged to share photos of themselves, their friends and colleagues wearing their favorite hockey jerseys on social media using the hashtag #HockeyJerseyDay. To see a collection of images from the day, click here.
On Saturday, a record 12,080 children from across the nation were introduced to hockey for the first time at 330 Try Hockey for Free events, presented by Kraft Heinz, in 45 states. Saturday’s turnout eclipsed the previous February Try Hockey for Free participation record, set last year, by nearly 2,000. Using the hashtag #TryHockey, fans submitted pictures on social media, some of which can be found here.
On Sunday, local teams and associations honored their local hockey heroes in various ways and fans shared stories of their local hockey heroes on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and HockeyWeekendAcrossAmerica.com by using the hashtag #HockeyHeroes.
IN AND AROUND HOCKEY WEEKEND ACROSS AMERICA
On Thursday (Feb. 18) USA Hockey announced that USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan, will host the 2017 International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championship. The event, tentatively slated to run from April 1-8, 2017, will include 22 games and feature the top female hockey players in the world.
In addition, it was announced that the 2016 U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp will take place at USA Hockey Arena, from July 30-Aug.6. The week-long camp will include 10 international games featuring Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States and serve as preparation for the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship, which will take place from Dec. 26, 2016 through Jan. 5, 2017, in Montreal and Toronto, Canada.
Sunday (Feb. 21) marked the sixth edition of NBC’s “Hockey Day in America” coverage, which included relocating its studio coverage to Minneapolis, the site of the NHL’s Stadium Series matchup between Chicago and Minnesota. The day included live broadcasts of three NHL games (two on NBC, one on NBCSN) and content in and around the games showcasing hockey at all levels.
As part of Hockey Weekend Across America, 28 young officials had the chance to meet and learn from current NHL officials in conjunction with NHL games in American markets over the course of the three days.
Recently, Labatt USA contributed $250,000 through Labatt USA’s Pass It Forward Initiative to The USA Hockey Foundation to either start or further 10 sled hockey programs across the country. During Hockey Weekend Across America, several of the $25,000 grant recipient programs celebrated the weekend by hosting try sled hockey days.
NOTES: Hockey Weekend Across America was created by USA Hockey in 2008 to engage the hockey community in celebrating the sport of hockey at all levels and exposing the sport to new audiences … For full information surrounding the weekend, click here … The hashtag #HWAA on social media in used in association with the event …. A total of 26,209 new players were part of USA Hockey’s two national Try Hockey for Free Days, presented by Kraft Heinz, this season, which include Liberty Mutual Insurance and Total Hockey as official sponsors. The total is more than 1,000 better than last season.
