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STOPs & STARTS USA Hockey News & UPDATES Logano Adds Fuel To U.S. Sled Team's Fire T hrough his generosity and support, NASCAR driver Joey Logano is looking to ensure the U.S. Sled Hockey Team takes a victory lap at the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games. Logano, a longtime supporter of the U.S. Sled Hockey Program, presented the team with a $15,000 check prior to a game at the Extreme Ice Center in Indian Trail, N.C. The 22-year-old driver also took part in a ceremonial face off between Team USA and Russia. Logano is originally from Middletown, Conn., where he played youth hockey. The 2009 Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year remains a hockey fan and supporter. In 2009, he funded the design, development and construction of new sleds for the U.S. Sled Hockey Team that won the NASCAR driver Joey Logano meets with Jeff Sauer, head coach of the U.S. Sled Team, and then presents a check for $15,000 to members of the team. gold medal at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver, B.C. Additionally, the Extreme Ice Center, which is co-owned by the Logano family, is a regular training venue for the U.S. National Sled Team. "Watching this hockey team and the players on the ice is extremely inspiring. They are an amazing group of athletes who work hard and let nothing stand in their way of doing what they love, and that's play hockey," Logano said. "I'm proud of the small part my entire family has played in their success on the ice. It's no different than what it takes to win at the track; with the right equipment, the right people and the right attitude you can accomplish great things. That's what we are witnessing with the U.S. National Sled Team." "Watching this hockey team and the players on the ice is extremely inspiring." — Joey Logano, NASCAR driver Time Can't Weaken Hockey Bonds It was 1983 when Joe Battista first crossed paths with Don Granato at the USA Hockey Select 16 Camp in Colorado Springs. The two remained friends over the years and reunited when Granato brought the U.S. National Under-18 Team to University Park, Pa., to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions. During the weekend, Granato joined Battista and his "GeoHabs" teammates for an early-morning "NHL" (the Nittany Hockey League) game. The Nittany Lions and the U.S. squad split the weekend series, with Penn State taking the opener, 5-2, while Team USA rebounded Saturday with a 3-0 victory. The reunion led Battista to remember his early experiences as a 23-year-old assistant coach at the camp, where he roomed with 1988 U.S. Olympic Coach Dave Peterson. On the last day of the camp, Peterson invited Battista to join him and "a couple of friends" for breakfast at the Broadmoor Hotel. "When we arrived I realized his 'friends' were a couple of legendary hockey coaches, "Badger" Bob Johnson and John Mariucci, the 'Godfather of American Hockey,'" Battista recalled. "It was the most humbling and inspiring experience of my early foray into coaching. The friendships from that camp still exist today, including with Don Granato." Bill Downey, Penn State's Hockey Operations director, left, and Joe Battista, Penn State's associate athletic director of Ice Arena & Hockey Development, flank U.S. Under-18 National Team Head Coach Don Granato during an early morning skate. Granato brought his U.S. squad to University Park, Pa., for a weekend series against the Penn State Nittany Lions. 08 March. 2013 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM Photos courtesy of Gregg Forwerck (2); Joe Battista