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on the fly USA Hockey people & Programs Knoxville Kicks 50th Celebration Into High Gear When you think of hockey in Tennessee thoughts likely turn to the Nashville Predators, who have built a loyal fan base in Music City over the last 14 years. But right up the road, actually 180 miles east along Interstate 40, the city of Knoxville has quietly built its own hockey tradition that continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Recently, the Knoxville Amateur Hockey Association celebrated its 50th anniversary in style with its second annual Hockey Night in Knoxville. The goal of the event was to drive awareness of the KAHA programs, encourage membership, recognize the player's achievements, and celebrate passion for the sport of ice hockey. The evening's festivities kicked off with the houselights lowered at the Cool Sports Home, of the Icearium, as players were individually introduced as they skated out of the shadows and into a spotlight that followed them to center ice. Soon after, it was time to drop the puck as more than 1,000 fans and family members were treated to a night of fast-paced, exciting games. Tom O'Brian, a program director for KAHA, said this year's event was made even more special because it highlights the longevity of hockey in Knoxville. "It's KAHA's 50th year, which really for a lot of people when they start thinking that youth hockey has been in Knoxville for 50 years, it just shocks people," O'Brian told the Knoxville News Sentinel. "We've had people out on that ice for the last 50 years. Some of those kids have become coaches in the program. You wouldn't think of it being here." According to K.J. Voorhees, the hockey director at Cool Sports, there is a great hockey heritage in Knoxville that includes several professional teams, including the Knoxville Ice Bears, a team that brought Voorhees to town in 2002. "Things in the south are a little bit different. They talk a little different and they do things at their pace more than the west coast or east coast lifestyle," said the Lake Stevens, Wash., native. "But I enjoy it. I've been here so long for a reason." Skating For Sandy Hook When members of the Denver Women's Hockey League heard about the tragic events at Sandy Hook Elementary School, they knew they needed to do something. Many of the league's members are moms with small children themselves, so the events that took place in Newtown, Conn., hit close to home. The DWHL board put together a scrimmage on behalf of the school to raise money for the Newtown Memorial Fund, a charity established to provide financial support to families of victims, assist the town in creating a lasting memorial, and award annual college scholarships to students attending Newtown Public Schools. Twenty of the league's members participated in the scrimmage, held Jan. 14, at the Ice Centre in Westminster, Colo. Although the recommended minimum donation to skate was only $20, the players and league were successful in raising nearly $1,000 to contribute to the memorial fund. 10 March. 2013 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM Homemade Desk Houses A Lifetime Of Hockey Memories When Jordan Lockner was tasked with building something out of recycled material he knew exactly where to turn. The University of Colorado senior and long-time hockey player decided to make a desk completely out of hockey related materials for his green technology class. "It was a no brainer for me," said Lockner, an Architecture major with 15 years of hockey experience. "I have been playing hockey for so long, and I still play here [at CU]. All of my family plays hockey so we have an abundance of sticks. I figured it would be a perfect project." However, the desk became more than just a school project that netted Lockner an A from Professor Julee Herdt. Lockner also built the desk that contains some family history for his father Bill as a Christmas gift. (Pictured above.) The desk consists of close to 150 hockey sticks and 12 goalie sticks, including the first hockey sticks ever used by Jordan and his three brothers. Then the main stick going across the front of the desk belonged to his father. "It's going to be a little family heirloom," Lockner said. "It has some meaning and everything to it. There are a lot of cool hidden secrets." Lockner completed the desk after a month and a half. It also features an autographed collegiate hockey stick from Paul Stastny and one that is unsigned from Joe Sakic. Lockner used hockey pucks for the drawer handles as well as a piece of a Plexiglas to cover the top of the desk. Factory Made, a local Boulder, Colo., business that sponsored the class projects, will showcase the desk and other creations on March 14. "I was thrilled and super excited they picked my project," Lockner said. "I put so many hours into it." A Big Gesture By The Little Flyers T he Philadelphia Little Flyers were returning home from a mid-December Atlantic Junior Hockey League showcase in Hartford, Conn., when their bus took an unexpected detour that would have a big impact on members of this Tier III Junior A team. Like many people across the nation, the players and coaches were still trying to come to grips with the tragedy at the Sandy Hook Elementary School as they approached the town of Newtown, Conn. Team captains Trevor Gooch and Gabe Chuckran approached coach Steve Washkalavitch with the idea of stopping by the makeshift memorial to pay their respects to the 26 victims. "You felt like you were doing something good but there was definitely a sad atmosphere, a somber feeling," Washkalavitch said. "Each guy ponied up $20 or so and we stopped in town and paid our respects." At the memorial the Little Flyers laid wreaths and said a prayer before meeting the father of one of the shooting victims. "You really didn't know what to expect," Washkalavitch said. "It's hard to put into words. It was a very emotional, a powerful experience." It was a great life lesson for the Little Flyers that life is always more important than any game. "These guys are always fighting each other for spots in the lineup and their clawing away to get a college commitment, but for a few hours on that day they came together as brothers," Washkalavitch said. "It was a really great thing for our team." Photos courtesy of the Jolanda Jansma; Reuters News Service; Jordan Lockner; Christine Rudzinskas