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Fire and ice: Interest in hockey heats up Nebraska
by Mark Hayden

Ice, cold weather and falling down all have something in common. They torment the population of the Midwest every winter, of course, but they are also the elements of a sport gaining interest and excitement in Nebraska — hockey.

Unlike states with a big hockey tradition such as Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin, Hockey didn’t come into existence in out-state Nebraska until the late 1990s with the arrival of the Tri-City Storm Hockey team in Kearney. For many Nebraskans, the Storm was their first experience with the sport.

With the help of Greg Shea, the team was established in 1999 and has struck a chord many people in the area ever since. Now head of the Kearney Chamber of Commerce, Shea was Vice President of Operations for Storm Hockey until the end of last year. Shea had worked with the Omaha Lancers from 1995-1999 as the assistant general manager, and when speculation about the addition of another minor league hockey team in Nebraska began to surface, Shea was a part of that decision.

If you like competitive and physical games such as football; you might want to add hockey to your must-watch list.

“I feel that hockey, because of the physical aspect and the intensity of the sport, has become an additional outlet for football fans,” Shea said.

But although football and hockey are similar in some ways, hockey brings something to the table that most people are not used to — using two blades strapped to your feet to propel you across a sheet of ice.

That is where the facilities at the First Tier Events Center in Kearney come into play.  The only regulation sheet of ice between Denver and Kearney, the Center is available to the public to polish their skating skills. For less than the price of seeing a movie ($5), open skating is available between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. on weekdays. And even if you’re not as young as you once were, Greg Shea says you might want to give skating — and hockey — a try.   

“I had never played hockey myself until a couple of years ago,” Shea said. “I started out by telling myself not to be afraid to step out on the ice, but after I had learned a few of the basic skills, the rest came naturally. It’s great recreation, a great alternative workout. I think if you look at it from that standpoint, you’ll be surprised at how much fun you’ll have,” Shea said.

With the lack of a hockey tradition in the area, you will be hard pressed to find a player on the Tri-City Storm from Nebraska. But Shea hopes that someday soon the rise in interest in hockey will help spawn the first local player.

With the help of local organizations, such as Tri-City Optimist Youth Ice-Hockey Association, children as young as three can get started playing on a team. When players reach their high school years, they are eligible to play on the youth hockey team.

“At three, you just learn how to skate. Then there is an introductory program, where you learn some of the skills, than you just work your way up until you reach the high school level,” Shea said. The Kearney club plays other teams from around the region.

For adults who want to give hockey a shot; there is an adult league that plays at the arena in Kearney.

“They have six teams ranging and players ranging from some guys who just graduated high school to a guy from Cozad who is in his 50s,” Shea said. Like Shea, they’ve found hockey to be a great way to heart-pumping exercise and have a great time doing it.

Hockey is not a “northern” sport anymore. It’s fun to watch and, for many, fun to play. And it certainly looks as if it’s come to Nebraska for good. Could the next Gordie Howe or Wayne Gretzky come from Kearney?

It’s no longer impossible.

Mark Hayden is a journalism student at the University of Nebraska, Kearney.

For more information regarding youth and adult hockey leagues, visit www.tricityyouthhockey.com and www.tcshl.com respectively.
For Tri-City Storm Hockey ticket and scheduling information: visit www.stormhockey.com.

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