Letter from the President, August 24, 2009

I trust you are like me and eagerly anticipating the start of this ice hockey season which is but a few weeks away in early October. Information about Registration for the upcoming season will be available very soon, so keep watching our website.

Just recently we completed a very successful and first annual, Memphis area Hockey Expo. The event was a tremendous success, drawing over 300 people to the DCC. Our goals were several.  First, we wanted to create awareness of ice hockey and skating in our community. We invited many of our local skating community partners to the event, including the Mississippi Riverkings, University of Mississippi and Mississippi State Club Hockey programs, the Memphis Figure Skating Club, our local referee association, and Chill, which is the organization supporting inline hockey. Newcomers to the skating community were able to obtain information and learn more about our organization.

Second, we wanted to help reduce the barriers to entry to ice hockey, namely cost and obtaining equipment. We were able to raise some funds via a superb raffle with many outstanding items kindly donated from our partners and even the Nashville Predators. In addition, we sold jerseys, t-shirts and decals supporting MYHL. Finally, we organized a much needed equipment consignment sale, where our members could easily obtain needed equipment at very affordable prices. We even offered skate sharpening.

One of our other goals was to simply celebrate hockey and generate interest in the upcoming season. Judging by the attendance and the fantastic feedback, I believe we accomplished that goal. Kids of all ages loved the face painting, the balloon lady, the trophies, the giveaways, and also the challenging Shooter Tutor, a full size wooden goalie guarding a regulation hockey goal which proved tough to beat even by our best young players. Parents enjoyed simply talking “shop”, trading stories about hockey and gearing up for the season.

The most important aspect of the event however was the amount of dedication and support we received from many of our volunteers. The real story of the event was the time, effort, and preparation put forth by the members of our incredible organization. The Expo was a success due solely to the passion of our members for the sport of hockey and to them I am greatly appreciative.

The list of helpers starts with Julie Bryan who chaired the event. She was assisted by an incredible committee, with special thanks to Natalie Wilkins helping with advertising and Pam DeMato who spearheaded the equipment sale. From an oversight standpoint, a thank you goes out to the MYHL Board of Directors. In addition, I’d like to thank everyone who was part of this grand event, with apologies to anyone whom we might have missed: Allison Pignocco, Barbara McClatchey, Bob McMillin, Brenda Snell, Cindy Vaughn, David Wilkins, Golda Frankland, Heather Meeks, Janie Watrous and family, Jeff Kent, Jim Allay and his son Casey, Jo Rust, Karl Wondersek, Mike Ciesliga, Phil Orgeron, Sarah Little, Sergei Rose, Shannon Hoff, Shannon McAteer, Stacey Carlisle and her daughter, Starr Taiani, Tina Caron, Valerie Hill, and Veronica Lord.

Thanks to all who attended and we look forward to seeing you again next year.

Kerry Frankland, President, Memphis Youth Hockey League

I hope everyone is beginning to enjoy this summer season. While the Stanley Cup playoffs are in our midst, it won’t be long though before our next ice hockey season is upon us.  Our new board is in place and we have already begun making plans and we are looking forward to another great year of hockey in the greater Memphis area.

Looking back and reflecting on our league’s past, we owe a great deal to all of those that participated on the board and volunteered their time to build and maintain our league. We owe a tremendous amount of thanks to all of you, the parents and families that have embraced the great sport of ice hockey and created the opportunities to allow your children to play. We are all aware of our situation; we all know that we have ice but for only half of a year. We are extremely thankful for the Riverkings and their presence here and for the Desoto Civic Center to continue to allow us to use available ice. We have run an excellent league, we have developed our players, and we continue to be competitive when we play outside our area. But it is also time to raise the bar and look ahead to where we need and want to be.
Our stated goal is simply to be the best ice hockey organization in our southeastern district. That is a fairly lofty goal, but we can achieve this with your help. We have several goals and initiatives and some exciting new announcements. Here are some of the many things on the radar that we plan to work towards and implement for this season. 

• Bringing a dedicated, recreational ice facility to Memphis
  • We will continue to work with and help facilitate any initiatives to bring a home rink to our area   
• Utilizing all available ice     
  •  With smarter scheduling and opening up the offering, we want to maximize the exposure of the available ice to you, our constituents       
  • Look for other supplemental uses of ice including clinics, ‘stick-and-puck’ sessions, 3 on 3 mini-tourneys, and open hockey opportunities 
• Managing both the on and off ice experience to foster skill development and competitive hockey 
  • In certain recreational divisions, we may have to be creative in forming teams and promoting ‘peer vs. peer’ hockey
  • Taking advantage of off-ice teaching opportunities      
  •  Developing our coaching program and working on adoption of the American Hockey Development Model, ensuring a consistent approach to teaching hockey to our kids       
  • Adopting a feedback system to ensure we are meeting and exceeding your expectation       
• Building a Public Relations ‘center’ and actively marketing our league and recruiting new playerso       
  • Enhancing our board and volunteer opportunities to help increase awareness of our league in our area       
  • Implement fund-raising ideas to help offset cost       
  •  Utilize the media and other ‘grass roots’ marketing techniques to grow our league