Kids playing hockey

While we sit and wait to hear any more on Huntington's future prospects in organized hockey*, why not look at future hockey prospects from Huntington? Well, sort of. Back in the final years of the Tri-State Ice Arena, the Junior Blizzard competed in the Buckeye Travel Hockey League, competing in Midget (under 18) and Peewee (under 12) brackets. Their results? Not too bad I reckon...

2002-03: Midget 17U A-Bluegrass Division: 2nd, 9-6-1 (11-7-1 overall)
2003-04: Midget 17U A-Bluegrass Division: 3rd, 12-4-4 (12-6-4)
Peewee B: 7th, 4-16-1 (7-22-1)
2004-05: Midget 18: 8th, 3-20-1 (7-25-1)
Peewee B: 3rd, 6-9-1 (7-10-1)

After the rink in South Charleston was built, they set up their own program as well, which joined the league. There was a little overlap when the Jr. Blizzard and the South Charleston Chiefs played against each other...

2003-04:Midget 17U A-Bluegrass Division: 2nd, 14-5-1 (16-6-1)
2004-05:Midget 18: A 7th, 4-19-1 (5-22-2)

During this stretch Charleston won the series 4-1-2. Then Tri-State went dark, and South Charleston soldiered on...

2003-04: Bantam B-Bluegrass Division: 4th, 6-8-2 (9-9-3)
2005-06: Midget 18 A: 4th, 7-12-1 (8-14-1)

In 2006 the Bantam squad took the moniker "South Charleston Liberty", while the Midgets became merely the Charleston Chiefs. Maybe I read into omens a bit too much, but I don't think the name change had quite the desired effect:

LIBERTY:
2006-07: Bantam A-Mountaineer Division: 7th, 0-24-0 (0-26-0)
2007-08: Bantam A1: 7th, 0-24-0 (0-30-0)

Yes, that reads right--winless in two years of competition. The Chiefs weren't faring much better...

2006-07: Midget 18 A: 5th, 4-15-1 (5-17-1)
2007-08: Midget 18 A: 6th, 2-20-2 (2-26-2)

As far as I can tell the travel program did not continue past 2008, and I don't know what there was beforehand, so anyone out there (players, coaches, etc.) feel free to help me out!

*--something I've learned from following the Team US F1 story is that silence is not necessarily a bad thing.

Had to put this here

The last post was crossposted at my LiveJournal page; I got this response from one friend:

"i think it'd sound a lot better if they opened the ice rink back up."

A reminder that I need to find someone(s) on the Tri-State Ice Arena end of things.

Good day to all who've ventured thisaway

This will be the new home of updates on the research and progress of an as-yet untitled documentary on the ice hockey history of Huntington. It is a remarkably rich history, dominated by the seven-year tenure of the East Coast Hockey League's Huntington Blizzard (1993-2000), whose time also heralded the construction of a local ice rink, the Tri-State Ice Arena (1995-2005). Huntington also had a very brief stay in the now-defunct International Hockey League with the Huntington Hornets (1956-57). Even before them, there was a team--which I have found little on--known as the Huntington Aces (1940?-45?), which was an amateur/semi-professional outfit stocked primarily with off-duty factory workers.

As much as there was going on on the ice, Huntington's ice hockey history has been equally tumultuous, if not moreso. Absentee owners, financial difficulties, relocation threats, cult followings, all the fun of small-market hockey south of the Mason-Dixon, with a cameo by Mike Killbreath too (If you've never heard of Mike Killbreath, these links should help)!

I've got lots of different roads to go with on this one. As I said elsewhere, there's going to be a "director's cut" of this ultimately, as I want to include everything somehow. I intend to get deep with this, looking as much at the off-ice situation as on-ice play. I'm especially intrigued at looking into what problems Huntington has in terms of hosting a hockey team--or any team, for that matter. Economics, fan patterns, facilities, the works.

This page will be a place for me to A--make announcements on progress, and B--solicit ideas and help. Anything anyone can contribute would be colossally appreciated.

--Lenny