COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Ron DeGregorio, one of the most accomplished volunteer leaders in the nearly 80-year history of USA Hockey, will mark the end of a 12-year run as the organization’s president on Saturday during USA Hockey’s Annual Congress in Colorado Springs.
“We’ve had so many great people involved in this organization,” said Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey. “It would be hard to come up with anyone that has had more impact and done more for the overall growth and development of the game than Ron. His legacy is immense and will positively impact the sport for generations to come.”
“With the help of the great people in our organization and beyond, I think we’ve been able to get a lot accomplished over these last 12 years,” said DeGregorio. “While I did think it was time for pass the torch to someone else as president, I look forward to continuing to be involved with USA Hockey and the sport in general.”
Of the many signature initiatives that DeGregorio has championed during his more than 40 years of involvement with USA Hockey, one of the most visible is the creation of the National Team Development Program in 1996.
“The concept for the NTDP was Ron’s,” said Ogrean. “It was met with significant resistance at the outset, but has turned out to be extremely successful and a program that has received much acclaim across the world.”
DeGregorio also was a significant proponent of the American Development Model that was launched by USA Hockey in 2009. The ADM is an age-appropriate development program to give kids of all ages the best opportunity to reach their full potential and is widely viewed as revolutionary in helping positively modify the youth hockey landscape in the U.S. The ADM is endorsed by many, including the NHL, International Ice Hockey Federation, the U.S. Olympic Committee and the American Hockey Coaches Association to name a few. In 2014, the USOC asked USA Hockey for permission to utilize the name and mark associated with the ADM, which it granted.
In 2011, DeGregorio helped push forward the passage of the Progressive Checking Skill Development Program, which among other things, modified the age of allowable body checking in games in youth hockey from the Peewee (11-12 year-olds) to the Bantam (13-14 year-olds) level.
“That was an issue that was heavily debated,” said Ogrean, “but Ron believed strongly that it was the right thing for kids on both the development and safety side. He’s always, in every case, been out to ensure kids have fun in a safe environment and one in which they can have the best chance to develop their full potential.”
DeGregorio will lead USA Hockey through its Annual Congress in Colorado Springs, Colorado, which begins tomorrow (June 3). USA Hockey will elect a new president, just the fifth in its history, at its Board of Directors meeting on Saturday (June 6).
“Ron has been an extraordinary president of this organization,” said Ogrean. “While he is passing the baton as president, the good news for all of us is that he will continue to be actively involved.”
