Open Letter to the AMHL Membership Regarding the USA Hockey Initiatives & NHL Grant
January 19, 2009

To all players, coaches and parents of our Youth and Junior Divisions;

By now many of you have heard that USA Hockey has received a huge increase of financial support from the NHL in the amount of $8 Millions dollars. While there is no written agreement from the NHL funding, USA Hockey has 5 major initiatives for this $8 million NHL grant. They are;;

1. A grant for the USHL, Tier I Junior Hockey
2. Funding for the USAH Officiating Development Program
3. Hockey Growth Department

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Sled Hockey Arrives in Delaware
After years of trying, Delaware finally gets a sled team in the ASHL
October 1, 2008

It is hard enough to find a competitive sport for disabled children, and even harder to find a team close to your residence.  So for the past few years Chris and Tammy DeStafney have been working diligently to start up a sled hockey team in the state of Delaware.

Their son Justin has been playing for the last three years for Team Vineland and thought it would be great to have the sport grow geographically.  Andy Rigney, a friend of the DeStafney family, was interested in having his son Drew play as well, so the three worked together to make this dream a reality.

Andy, Tammy and Chris had made several attempts to manufacture this organization, but the process took longer than planned.  It was an Atlantic USA Hockey Representative by the name of Tom Brake who got the ball rolling.

At a Spina Bifida Conference in Wilmington, Delaware, Brake proposed the idea and worked with local rinks to donate ice time for the summer.  The turn outs at first were slow but eventually more and more participants came.

By the end of the summer the hopes of developing a team in Delaware came true.  “All the credit goes to Chris and Tammy,” explained Rigney, co-manager of the team.  “Their son has been playing for 3 years in New Jersey, and they have been trying to get a team in Delaware ever since.”

Both Tammy and Andrew are co-managers of the team, while Chris will be going for his Level 2 coaching certification this season as the only coach.  “This sport really allows disabled children the opportunity to play and compete.  I've gotten into a sled and I really admire what these kids are out there doing.  It's takes a lot of strength to get that sled moving.  I'm honored to be their coach."

The team currently has 8 players and many other teams have come out to practice with the team.  “This goes to show that the sled hockey community is really a family,” expressed Tammy.  The team will be practicing and playing their games at the University of Delaware in Newark, DE.

Starting a team also has a cost to it.  The team is fortunate enough to have a great sponsor.  Andy Rigney works for Missa Bay in Swedesboro, NJ and the company has donated a large amount of money to help support the team in its first season.  Andy mentioned that the team plans on doing a lot of fundraising events over the summer.

When asking the team about their expectations for the inaugural season; they responded that they were just excited to have a program in Delaware now.  “We want the kids to have a good experience with hockey along with having fun and learning,” replied Tammy.  She did say that as the season gets deeper, you will see the competitive streaks in the players come out.

The AMHL would like to welcome the Delaware team into the league and wish them the best in their first season as well as many more to come.