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STOPs & STARTS USA HOCKEY NEWS & UPDATES USA Hockey Offers A Winning Solution Did you know that 2 + 2 = Growth? According to USA Hockey's calculations, that's a winning equation to grow the game by getting more youngsters involved in hockey while keeping current players going in the future. USA Hockey has created the Morrow Memorabilia Nets Big Bucks spent $104,328 to own Ken Morrow's white USA jersey that he wore at the 1980 Olympic Winter Games. It's the very jersey Morrow wore during the "Miracle on Ice" victory over the Russians on Feb. 22, 1980. I recently t may be hard to put a price on what it's worth to own a piece of hockey history, but several lucky collectors are always willing to try. One unidentified collector jerseys from the storied team are in the hands of private collectors. Both of those jerseys were worn by forward Mark Wells. "It's definitely a one-of-a-kind item that has The cutoff date for the auction, which was staged by Classic Auctions, was held on the 32nd anniversary of that stunning victory. Other items put up for auction by Morrow, now the director of pro scouting for the New York Islanders, included his skates ($4,755), gloves ($6,328) and other equipment worn during the Lake Placid Games; his home ($2,013) and away ($1,829) jerseys from his days at Bowling Green State University; and a game-worn jersey ($9,758) from Morrow's Stanley Cup days as an Islanders defenseman. (Winning bids included a 19.5 percent fee added by the auction house.) Still, the marquee item in the auction was the white USA jersey. Only two other game-worn THEY SAID IT don't check from behind.' " —Lou Nanne, long-time player, coach and administrator, commenting after Minnesota prep player Jack Jablonski was injured by a check from behind. "I think the last thing every coach should say to his team before the start of every period and every game is, 'remember, 06 APRIL/MAY.2012 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM PHOTOS BY USA Hockey, Getty Images a lot of historical significance," said long-time Michigan collector Mike Grueber. "A lot of collectors who are at the top end of the hobby were growing up when that happened and it left a big impression on them." For Morrow, who won four Stanley Cups with the Islanders over the course of his career, the decision to part with items from his past was 30 years in the making. "I had a lot of stuff, a lot of hockey memorabilia just sitting around my house so I really had to decide what I wanted to keep and what I didn't," said Morrow, who was a guest of honor at the 2012 Labatt Blue USA Hockey Pond Hockey Championships in Eagle River, Wis. "The jersey was the one thing that I had to think about giving up. I talked to a lot of people who said, 'make sure, make sure,' and it really came down to, after thinking about it for a long time, that I said I'm ready to do it. Now is the time. I'm fine with the decision to do it." 2 & 2 Challenge to provide local associations with the initiatives and tools to increase the ranks of local players. It's a simple solution that encourages associations to add two new players and retain two more players than the previous season. USA Hockey's Membership Development department makes it easy for associations to grow the game by following three simple steps; retention, acquisition and conversion. To help with retention, USA Hockey will hold "Welcome Back To Hockey Week, on Sept. 17-23. To introduce new families to the game, Try Hockey For Free Day returns on Nov. 3. And finally, Try Hockey players can get their hockey careers off to a flying start by enrolling in a recommended entry-level program. Associations that commit to the 2 & 2 Challenge and take advantage of these national retention, acquisition and conversion programs will be eligible for several rewards, including national recognition on USAHockey. com and in USA Hockey Magazine, a banner for display in your rink, a web banner to display on your website and free sets of OneGoal starter equipment. More prizes and incentives are available for associations that go above and beyond the basic outline. For more information, visit 2and2Challenge.com or contact Program Services at (719) 538-1222.