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OUR
HISTORY
KYHA
was founded in 1968 by some very special, dedicated parents,
like Bill McKenna, Bill McElroy and others. Little did those
parents know the positive impact their efforts would have on
thousands of young people in Kirkwood and the surrounding communities.
In
the years since 1968, skaters have come and gone. Now many second
and third generation KYHA players have followed. We are very
grateful for our founders' dedication and commitment. And we
are fortunate to continue to have a tremendous amount of parent
volunteers.
OUR
HOME RINK
The
Kirkwood Ice Rink was built in 1967 at 111 South Geyer in Kirkwood.
(This was the same year the NHL added the expansion St. Louis
Blues.) The rink was originally an outdoor rink. The roof was
added to the rink in 1996. And in 1998, the citizens of Kirkwood
and Glendale voted in favor of a sales tax increase to fund Parks
and Recreation projects. These projects included the construction
of a swimming pool/aquatic center and the total renovation of
the Kirkwood Ice Rink. The $8.5 million dollar improvements to
the Kirkwood Recreation Station were completed in 1999. The ice
surface and refrigeration system are completely new and the rink
is now the standard 200' by 85' size. There are six "standard"
size locker rooms with showers, an enlarged warming area with
fireplace, and a new concession stand and party room. It is the
home rink to our Kirkwood Stars teams, as well as the Kirkwood
High School Pioneers Varsity, Junior Varsity and "C"
hockey teams.
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Our
most famous Kirkwood skater is NHL Hall of Famer Pat LaFontaine,
who was born in St. Louis in 1965. LaFontaine got his start at
the Kirkwood Rink, where he says his father would take him at
5 a.m. to skate. When he was 5 years old, LaFontaine was playing
stick-and-puck games at Kirkwood. At 7, Chrysler transferred his
father to Detroit, MI. |
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In
his only year of hockey in the Canadian Junior system, LaFontaine
shattered Guy Lafleur and Mike Bossy records by scoring 104 goals
and 234 points while helping his team reach the Memorial Cup finals.
LaFontaine
was the New York Islanders first pick and third overall in the
1983 NHL draft. He played from 1983 to 1991 with the Islanders,
from 1991 to 1997 with the Buffalo Sabres and 1997-1998 with the
New York Rangers. He retired in 1998 at the age of 33 with 468
goals and 545 assists for 1,013 points in 865 career games. He
is one of only three American-born players to score over 1,000
points. He was a five-time All-Star and played for the United
States in the 1984 and 1998 Olympics. He was also a member of
1996 World Cup championship team.
In
June of 2003, LaFontaine was selected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
"I am truly thrilled to receive this tremendous honor,"
said LaFontaine upon receiving the news. "Growing up in St.
Louis, I always played for the love of the game and never dreamed
this could ever lead to my being a member of the Hockey Hall of
Fame."
LaFontaine Hall
of Fame Showcase Link
CONTACT
KYHA
Kirkwood
Youth Hockey Association
P.O. Box 220064
Kirkwood, MO 63122
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